Footprints
by My Hopeless Romantic
Summary: Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same. #33
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters belong to Tachibana Higuchi. Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom belong to J.K. Rowling. The rest is mine.

**Author's Note: **This story came to me when I was re-reading my only chaptered SumireKoko story, **When the Clock Strikes Twelve**. It was mostly the style. The style I used last year kind of struck me when I read it again. It's simple and effortless. This is going to be a very, very simple Friendship story, very different from _The Bookworm and the Beast._ These are short chapters compared to TBATB. Enjoy and as ever, let me know what you think. :)

-;-

_Falling for her was the easiest thing he'd ever done.  
><em>

_-;-_

_-;-_

**Chapter One**

A true friend is someone you can disagree with and still remain friends. For if not, they weren't true friends in the first place.  
>-Sandy Ratliff <strong><br>**

-;-

It wasn't the first time he saw her.

The familiarity of her brown hair and eyes…the dainty nose, full lips and soft, pink cheeks all triggered some distant memory that he couldn't seem to grasp. It floated at the back of his mind like a butterfly, just barely eluded his fingertips, and it was enough to make the point between his eyebrows start to ache. He couldn't remember where he saw her. It didn't matter, but there was that nagging feeling at the back of his mind that felt like an itch he couldn't get rid of until it was scratched.

Natsume shook his head to dispel his thoughts and strode purposefully toward her table. Once he stopped in front of her, he indicated the empty chair across from her with a tilt of his head and with her affirmative smile, he deposited his books onto the table top and dropped into the empty seat.

He sighed.

Thursdays were never this packed.

Why was the library such a coveted spot _now_? Teachers were sending home assignments and projects, sure, but nobody ever did their homework until two days before Christmas break and nobody studied for tests nowadays. Finding his usual library table taken by some arrogant junior had put his temper at a high by the end of the school day. Now he had to share a _table_ with somebody?

_Unbelievable. _

Pulling out the black pen from his pocket, he tapped it on the table once before flipping his chemistry textbook open and beginning to read. He didn't understand why every chemistry teacher decided to do a four month review of the past year, but he wasn't complaining. The material was simple, even a slug could understand it. He skimmed through the thirty pages with ease and leaned back with an exhale.

He wondered what he could do for the next hour until Aoi's dance class ended when there was a soft giggle from the brunette. His eyes immediately jerked up to meet her amused brown ones. He resisted the urge to roll his own.

_Great_…

Of course the only open seat at the library was beside one of those annoying, giggly fangirls.

She looked down with a barely-there smirk on her lips. "The library assistant keeps staring at you." Her voice was soft with a sharp edge of amusement and it took Natsume a second to realize she was talking to him.

He furrowed his brow. "Excuse me?"

She looked up and looked slyly to the left before scratching her neck with the end of her pencil. "Over by the check-out counter," she murmured with a laugh in her throat. Her attempt at being subtle was poor at best. "In the green vest. I swear, every ten seconds at least. It's distracting me."

He wasn't unfamiliar with female attention but curiosity won out and he leaned back into his chair in a faux-stretch to look over. She wasn't looking at him, but he recognized Sumire Shouda. He leaned back over the table to scoff. "She used to have a club dedicated to me."

At this, the girl snorted and raised a dubious eyebrow, clearly disbelieving. When she leaned over to speak, he was briefly distracted by how long her eyelashes were. "I may not be smart but I'm not stupid either," she said dryly, flicking through the pages of her math book. He noticed she was doing math two levels lower than he was. _Must be a sophomore_, he thought. _She looks young enough. _"But go ahead…what was the club about? Are you Mr. Students' Council President or the resident jock or what? Or maybe you're some hotshot musical star in the school?"

_She's never seen me before?_

Alice Academy wasn't _that _big. _  
><em>

He hid his surprise well, but his lack of response made her look up with a curious look to her eyes. "What?" she asked, half distracted with her work. "I'm right, aren't I? Still so weird though. What goes on in a club like that anyway? Is it like worship or something? Or do they do your campaign work like Ms. Universe?" Before he could answer, she leaned back thoughtfully. "There was a guy in my old school named Reo Mouri who had a club because he was apparently this amazing singer so they kind of screamed and made posters and stuff. So when he sang around our town or ended up getting a gig up here in Tokyo, the club would follow him around." She twirled her pencil around her finger before she looked over at him again. "Honestly, though, he gave me the heebie jeebies. He looked kind of obsessive. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a shrine of roosters in his bedroom."

She looked completely serious.

Natsume didn't know what to make of her. _A shrine of roosters? Who was this girl? _

It surprised him when he felt a laugh in his throat. "You're new here," he answered instead, watching as she flicked her hair out of her eyes with her pencil.

She tapped her pencil against her lip. "Nope, not really. I've been here since the end of September."

"You've been here for almost two months," Natsume said lowly, realizing they'd been talking rather indulgently in the library. "That would constitute you being new here."

She smiled with a shrug. "It's a matter of perception. I'm new compared to you but I'm not as new as Luna Koizumi."

He frowned. "Who?"

"Exactly." The girl shook her head with a grin, smiling in a way that made him think she was telling a joke in her head. She closed her math book lightly before she folded her arms on the table top and peered at him with an easy grin. She stuck out her hand after a moment. "I'm Mikan Sakura… in eleventh year."

_She's the same age as me. _

He looked at her hand and frowned. Who did that nowadays anyway? But he took it and marvelled quietly about how small and soft she was. It took a moment for his brain to catch up to him, but once it had, the words were out of his mouth before he could think about it. "You're doing tenth grade math."

Her mouth dropped open and a flush inched up her cheeks before she cried defensively, "Hey! Don't go all _holier-than-thou_ on me! Math isn't my strongest subject! I'm sure _you've _got something you're bad at too!"

There were hisses from around the library and the girl immediately ducked down like she was trying to become one with the table. Natsume looked at her in amusement and she returned the look with an almighty glare. "We have to be quiet," she whispered, eyes wide with embarrassment.

He looked at her calmly. "No shit, Sherlock."

She scowled at him with eyes still burning with ire. She looked around her before she turned back to him with determination. In a soft, quiet voice, she muttered, "You're not very polite, are you?"

The smirk came easily. "You're not very bright, are you?"

She leaned back with her jaw clenched before she flipped her book open with an exaggerated motion and pretended to concentrate intensively on her math. She didn't fool anyone and it wasn't long until she peeked up at him and scowled. "Don't you have some work you have to do?" she grated in a whisper.

"Unlike you, I'm doing well in school."

"So you're a keener," her brown eyes twinkled. She leaned onto the table and smirked. "Does that bad attitude drive away all of your friends? Do you just like to hang out at the library for fun?" She tilted her head to the side, a charming grin still on her face. "I guess I can kind of see that. Do you have some glasses? Maybe a handkerchief in your pocket? I think that would complete the nerd look better. You'd make a wonderful Harry Potter."

His temper flared at that and her solemn expression cracked into a grin. "I'm sorry, did I hurt your feelings? Would you rather be Neville Longbottom?" Her eyes widened a fraction before she looked at him earnestly, leaning forward with wide eyes. "Please tell me you've read the Harry Potter books. Because if you haven't, not only would you have no idea what I'm talking about, but I would have to demote you from almost-acquaintance to forever-stranger."

His lips lifted into a wry smile. "Are you usually this hyper?"

She looked down and bit on her lip. It surprised him how shy she had just turned. One minute she was spouting insults at him and the next she was as shy as a kitten. She blinked up at him and murmured apologetically, "I'm usually not like this. I didn't have time to pack a healthy lunch and probably snarfed down five chocolate granola bars between classes."

Whatever he had expected, it was _not _that.

The laugh stuck in his throat escaped and she reddened heatedly. "Hey! It's true! Don't laugh at me!"

He pressed a hand to his eyes to block the image of her so clearly infuriated and calmed his heartbeat, waiting as the chuckles died in his stomach. This girl was just too funny. With a smirk on his lips, he glanced back up at her only to find she was waiting with an eyebrow arched, unimpressed. "Are you done?" She had a laugh in her voice but her expression was completely straight.

He nodded faux-solemnly and she rolled her eyes. "Boys," she muttered under her breath. She looked up at him once before she brightened again. "What grade are you in?"

He debated on whether or not he would deem that with a response, but the curious glint in her eyes made the answer tumble from his lips without permission from his brain. "Eleventh year."

He didn't have time to dwell on his mouth's disobedience because a second later, she popped up from her chair and moved jerkily to pull the phone out of her pocket. She winced before she quickly started to gather her things and pop them in her bag. Reflexively, Natsume did the same.

"Sorry, gotta run," she whispered, holding her battered phone up with a dopey grin. "Nice talking to you!"

She was gone before he could understand what had happened. By the time he realized his books were under his arm, ready to go, and that almost an hour had passed since he started talking to her, a thought hit him.

_She still doesn't know my name. _

* * *

><p><strong>Note: <strong>As you can tell, this is AU. I picture this as something I would love to happen if they hadn't had Alices and met under different circumstances so you'll see a lot of parallels with the manga. Hopefully. If I'm doing this right. ;D

BTW, **Gakuen Alice Reader's Choice Awards 2010** nominations are starting right now. I didn't write much in 2010, but check out the stories that are being nominated right now and give them a read. Make sure your favourite stories from 2010 are up there. That's kind of the point of GARCAs and a lot of stories that don't get many reviews don't receive enough mention and this is just one way to do that.

_My Hopeless Romantic  
><em>


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters and some aspects of the plot belong to Tachibana Higuchi. The rest is mine.

**Author's Note: **Thank you for the reviews. Canonish spoilers ahead so beware. :) Enjoy reading and as ever, let me know what you think.

-;-

_Falling for her was the easiest thing he'd ever done.  
><em>

_-;-_

_-;-_

**Chapter Two  
><strong>

No soul is desolate as long as there is a human being for whom it can feel trust and reverence.  
><em> - George Eliot <em>**  
><strong>

-;-

She was in none of his classes.

It didn't take long to figure out. At first he'd merely thought he'd spaced out and ignored the introduction of the new kid, but after one week passed and he didn't see her in any of his classes, it was the only logical conclusion. He thought it strange for a day or two until he remembered she wasn't exactly the smartest tool in the shed. Really, the girl was doing math a level lower than she should whereas he was mostly doing advanced placement classes.

He'd promptly forgotten all about her until December rolled around the corner.

The school was beginning its festive season. Usually this meant incredibly cheerful teachers, a lot of homework, a school dance, a fundraiser and a Christmas themed pep rally before the start of Christmas break. This meant he wasn't going to be in a good mood until school was out for the winter. God, if his birthday wasn't painful enough, the cheer and the smiles around this place were going to make him puke in his mouth. Twice.

"Did somebody kick you where the sun don't shine?"

Natsume looked up from his manga, twirled his lighter around his fingers, and arched an eyebrow at Koko. "Hardly," he drawled, closing his manga completely once the whole gang came to sit at their customary cafeteria table. "But it's that time of year again."

Ruka flicked the bottle cap to his soda across the table to him and chuckled. "I don't know why you don't like Christmas so much. What are you? The Grinch?" Natsume merely darted him a look to which Ruka snorted. "Don't pretend to be such a badass when I know you love Aoi and your dad. Christmas is a time when you can hang out with them and all your friends. It's an excuse to get away from school. What are you so moody about?"

"He's moody because everybody's so happy," Koko piped in, taking a bite out of his morning muffin. "It wouldn't kill you to smile once in a while. With Aoi-chan out of the hospital this year, you've got an extra thing to celebrate."

Ruka nodded and he sighed before flicking the bottle cap back to him.

He honestly didn't know why he was always caught in a bad mood once Christmas season rolled around. Perhaps it was the increase in female attention. Single girls had a tendency to be extremely clingy and desperate come December and that just meant any single guy in the area had to be on their guard. It had been better recently…better than previous years when Shouda's little fanclub had still been in effect but despite the disbanding of the club, he was still hassled by more girls than was normal.

It was a well-known fact: he was not much of a conversationalist…and he resolved conflict one of two ways. He either used violence or stinging words. One thing many didn't know about him was he hated seeing girls cry. This meant not only could he not ward off female attention using his two solutions of conflict, but this usually resulted in an extremely irritated boy that had a tendency to burn things.

Or… it could be because everything seemed just a little different since his mother died.

He fiddled with his lighter once more before Ruka flicked the bottle cap up into the air. He caught it with an easy swipe before the bell rang.

-;-

The smell of flowers was pungent all around him as he stepped into the flower shop.

Once a month, on the fourth, Natsume bought fresh flowers and brought them to his mother.

There was a little flower shop he had a habit of going to and he had made a beeline for it the moment he had dropped Aoi off from school. Before he could even register what kind of flowers were on display in the centre of the store, a voice called out to him. "Kid!" He turned in time to see old man Miya disappear through the doors at the back of the store. He couldn't help it. He grinned at the familiarity.

Natsume didn't like old people. They were either cranky or too nosy. But the owners of the flower shop by the Tokyo Cemetery, Mr. and Mrs. Miya, were just about the only old folks he could deal with. After he had come into the shop four times the month his mother had died, with his father in tow, Mrs. Miya had given him a hand finding the perfect flowers for his mother and had given him a discount on every bouquet, sometimes even giving them to him for free. When he was thirteen, he started coming to visit his mom by himself.

They were a sweet old couple, Natsume thought.

The old man bustled out from the back room with a bouquet of purple hyacinths, bellflowers and orchids. He grinned and there were laugh lines all over his face. "Got your order right here, son," he said, laying the bouquet on the counter. "My wife put it all together yesterday before closing but she was a little sick this morning. Told you she'd see you next month for sure and to drop by anytime you want for some cookies." He chuckled. It was a deep belly-shaking laugh and Natsume moved forward, grabbing his wallet from his back pocket.

"Thanks, old timer," he said with a straight face, watching with a smirk when the old man merely snickered. "How are you?"

"Good, fine," he shook his head. His sharp eyes zeroed in on Natsume's wallet and he pushed the wallet away with a grin. "Don't you dare, kid. This one's on the house. It's Christmas time! Tell your mother old Miya says hello, hmm?" His brown eyes looked past Natsume's shoulder and he shooed him away after placing the bouquet in Natsume's arms. "Now run along, kid. There are some customers behind you. Make sure you come by to say hi to my wife, hm? She loves you. Sneaky kid."

Natsume shook his head with a grin. "Sure, old man. Take care of yourself."

The old man merely waved him off and with a slight bow, he was gone.

What he wasn't expecting was to be walking behind Mikan Sakura. She was walking briskly quite a ways in front of him, but he could recognize that long, braided brown hair from anywhere. She disappeared down a side street and he thought about it for two seconds before jogging to catch up with her. He wasn't _following _her exactly…she was merely walking in the same direction he was.

He didn't think about calling out to her. She was going her own way and it had nothing to do with him. He also didn't want to have to explain what he was doing with a large bouquet of purple flowers right after school. That and nobody but Aoi and Ruka knew where he went on the fourth of each month. He didn't want just anybody to know about his monthly ritual.

It was out of his hands, however, when they made it to the cemetery.

She was bent down on her knees, kneeling in front of a large grey tombstone and without a word, he walked past her and toward his mother's headstone. He brushed away the fallen leaves and debris before he set the bouquet down carefully. Usually he talked to her aloud, but with Sakura just a dozen meters away, he opted to talk to her in his head.

That didn't stop Sakura from speaking, though. Her voice was soft, like she was trying to be quiet, but there was only the two of them and with the dry, crisp winter air, the sound carried easily.

"Hi mom. Hey daddy," her voice was soft. He paused in his thoughts to his mother when her voice turned into a grumble. "It's ridiculous how disgusting people are, huh? Throwing their Burger King wrappers on you like that. There's no respect at all. I know you always say not to let my temper turn into violence but this is just crossing the _line_. There are garbage cans around here for a reason. They don't have to drape their waste on you like that."

There was a rustle and pause.

Natsume took the moment to trace his mother's name with one of his fingers. They slowed to a crawl to trace the K, A, O, R and U two more times before he crossed his legs and brushed the back of his hand against the bouquet of flowers.

_Hey mom._

He closed his eyes, imagining her smiling face, crinkly red eyes pressed into a grin and long, flowing black hair that tumbled around her shoulders. The image did her no justice and it scared him how quickly he was losing her face. _I miss you…a lot. I think about you everyday. Dad still makes two cups of coffee every morning and he set the table for four again last week. Aoi is a lot better. She's making a lot of new friends and makes me drive them over to our house after school most weeks. Fuck—I mean…dang, is it annoying. Their voices are still shrill and girly. I…I miss your voice. It's been—_

"I know I might have worried you a few weeks ago when I told you I hated it here," Sakura's voice broke into his head once more. "But it's getting better, I promise. I've made a few friends in class. One of them is my homeroom class president and he's really good at math. Hopefully I can bring up my marks soon. I'm trying really hard. I'm not going to give up. I know it sounded like I was last month, but I'm getting used to it here… Uncle has been very nice. He comes to visit every week and he calls everyday to make sure I'm okay. I guess it's still kind of weird, though, because I feel like I've just been dumped on his lap. N-Not that you guys did that! I'm not—ahhh, this isn't coming out right! I guess what I'm trying to say is…I'm okay…and I miss you. I wish Grandpa could be here with you guys so that I could visit him too. Do you think he's lonely without the flowers I would leave—"

He really shouldn't be eavesdropping on her conversation, Natsume realized, shifting a little on the uneven ground. He blinked back at the tombstone and tried to block out Sakura's voice.

_Nothing special happened last month. It was my birthday last week. Dad made his special birthday cake for me again, but it tasted different. Probably because you weren't there to give your extra touch of motherly hazard to it. I miss how much you used to swear when you tried to cook. And when I came home to your laugh. This Christmas will be the twelfth Christmas without you. You'd think I'd be a little used to it by now…_

He drummed his fingers against his knee before tilting his face back to feel the sun on his face. _Do you think I should be a doctor? I wish I could have saved you. If I was a doctor, I would have tried harder to save you. I would have saved you. They didn't try hard enough. _

_I've been dreaming about you for a while. When I wake up and realize you're still gone, I wish I could fall back asleep. I hope you're doing well. Ruka says hi. Maybe one day I'll bring him here and you can meet him properly. I think you would have liked him. He's kind of like dad. You would have hit on him, I think. _

He laughed quietly and pressed his hand against the cool stone. _I miss you lots. I hope you like it up there. I hope you get all of the gossip and adult literature you want in heaven. Yeah…dad told me about those. He says my manga was like your erotica. _He smiled slightly. _I think you're the coolest. _

_Old Miya says hi and I'm sure dad will come soon to see you. I've got to go for now, but I'll come down for Christmas. _He brushed his fingers against her name again and swallowed. _Love you, mom._

He sat there for a long moment, soaking up the warmth of the sun and feeling the tight fist his mother's tombstone seemed to have on him. When he got to his feet, he peered over to Sakura to see she was still chattering easily to her parents. She saw him and sent a small smile over without breaking from her conversation and with that, he walked over. He wanted to put a hand on her shoulder or…something when he passed, but thought better of it. Her eyes followed him and she gave a little wave and a bright smile.

It made his heart feel like it was suffocating in his chest…like something was squeezing it like an orange until every drop of blood was drained.

He didn't stop, nor did he wave back.

But he thought about her for the rest of the day.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: <strong>If I remember correctly, Natsume's mom died in a car crash when he was a toddler and they suspected somebody was behind it (in the manga). Correct me if I'm wrong. ;D**  
><strong>

Natsume bought his mother flowers.

Flower meanings**  
>Purple Hyacinths - <strong>I am sorry, sorrow.  
><strong>Bellflowers <strong>- Thinking of you  
><strong>Orchids - <strong>Refined beauty

_My Hopeless Romantic_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters and some aspects of the plot belong to Tachibana Higuchi. The rest is mine.

**Author's Note: **Thank you for the reviews. Canonish spoilers ahead. Beware. :) Enjoy and as ever, let me know what you think.

**Dedication:** This chapter is for Romantically Loveless. Happy 93rd birthday, kid. :)

-;-

_Falling for her was the easiest thing he'd ever done.  
><em>

_-;-_

_-;-_

**Chapter Three  
><strong>

Strangers are just friends waiting to happen.  
><em><em>- <em>Rod McKuen_  
><strong><br>**

-;-

It was a reflex reaction to be wary of Koko's Cheshire grins.

Natsume narrowed his eyes on clever brown ones before he snapped his lighter to life. His eyes flashed back up and his tone lowered so that none of the other guys could hear. "Spit it out. What do you want?"

Koko's grin merely brightened as he tossed his lunch apple between his hands. The sly edge to his eyes never wavered. "I'm friends with her." At his blank stare, Koko peered none too subtly over his shoulder and nodded. "Mikan Sakura. I know you like her. I can talk to her if you like."

Natsume rolled his eyes.

That was the furthest thing from the truth. He didn't know shit about her and had only ever talked to her _once. _He didn't know the smallest thing about her other than her name and that her parents had passed away. If there was one thing he stood by, it was that there was no such thing as love at first sight. Lust, sure, but never love and he felt neither for Mikan Sakura. He may have enjoyed the one conversation they had, but one hour would not change his perspective. It was just…different to meet somebody who had suffered more loss than he had.

"I do not," he said calmly.

The dubious look on Koko's face was apparent and he could feel Ruka shift beside him. "Do too," Koko snickered with a droll lilt to his lips. "I saw you staring at her since you sat down. It's not a bad thing. It just proves you're not as gay as the other guys think you are."

"_Who was he staring at_?" Mochu's voice was obnoxiously loud.

Natsume subtly looked around to find the majority of the cafeteria looking at him. _Mochu, that fucking idiot._

His eyes moved to Sakura to see that she was laughing about something Iincho had said. He'd wondered who she was sitting with the moment he'd entered the cafeteria, but recalled what she had said to her parents and didn't give it another thought. It pissed him off that Koko had seen him staring curiously at her. He caught himself looking over to her lunch table twice, but after he tamped down the guilt, he found it intriguing to watch her.

She was probably the most expressive person he ever met.

She smiled without restraint, laughed with her whole body and spoke with her hands when she was engrossed in the conversation. It probably didn't make sense to anybody but him…it was just a wonder she could still be like that despite how much she lost.

God knew he could never be like that.

"See? He's still looking at her!"

Ruka was looking at him with amusement. His damned eyebrow was arched. "Is there something you'd like to share with us, Natsume?"

He snorted. "Hardly. I don't even know her."

"Let's change that, shall we!"

Before the growl could work its way from his throat, Koko was already out of his seat. Natsume leaned his chin against his palm, lit his lighter and watched with irritation as Koko gestured to their table with a wink and offered a hand to her feet. Iincho merely began walking out of the cafeteria as the both of them strode back to the table.

"Good thing I came for Mikan or she would've been all by herself!" Koko said once they stopped in front of the table. "The class prez had to leave to finish some errands for the teachers before lunch ended."

It felt like the group turned collectively to look at the small brunette.

Her smile was shy but so fucking charming. "Hi!" she waved, brown eyes flitting uncertainly around the table. "I'm Mikan Sakura."

He felt the guys shift from around him, a clear pulse of amusement in the air, before they chorused loudly, "Hey Mikaaaaaaan!"

"You can sit right beside me!" Koko offered cheerfully, pushing Kitsuneme toward the edge of the bench with a squawk. A smile immediately pulled at the edges of her lips before she sat right in front of him. Natsume couldn't help the smirk that pushed at his lips when he ran their only conversation in his head.

She looked at him curiously. "I still don't know what your name is."

"Let's start with introductions then, shall we?" His traitor best friend clapped his hands together. "My name is Ruka Nogi and he's Natsume Hyuuga."

She mouthed his name like she was testing it before she smiled one of her brilliant smiles at him. He could feel a pulse at the back of his neck and it only began to recede when her eyes followed each and every introduction of his friends. Her eyes were bright and though Natsume could feel Koko's knowing eyes on him the whole time, he couldn't help but continue to watch her.

_Was she just going to pretend they hadn't seen each other at the cemetery?_

"Thank you for inviting me over! I'm still a little new to the school and my other friends don't exactly have the same lunch period I do." Her eyes moved over to Koko's before another smile slid onto her lips. "That was really nice of you."

"How do you know each other?"

She looked back at him with a frown. "Huh?"

"What do you mean, _Natsume_? I'm friends with everyone!" Koko slung an arm across her shoulders with a grin. "Unlike you, I don't emit some sort of constipated emo aura and I don't pretend to be a mute."

Sakura aimed a well-placed elbow at Koko's stomach and scowled. "That's not nice. Natsume's a very talkative person."

The laughter around the table dimmed and Natsume could feel his eye twitch at that.

"Wait, _what_?" Kitsuneme squawked.

"I think you're talking about somebody else," Mochu guffawed.

"Have you two met before?" Ruka asked politely, eyes immediately fixed on the small girl.

She looked at him with an eyebrow raised, "I met Natsume last week at the library. He was a total jerk, but he was nice!" She probably didn't notice the paradox of what she said, but his friends didn't seem to care. They were all looking at her like she had three heads. She merely blinked large eyes around her before a blush lit up her cheeks.

"She's an annoying junior doing sophomore math," he drawled, watching as the indignation began to settle in her face. "She likes Harry Potter and made a shrine dedicated to a rooster."

She opened and closed her mouth twice before her whole body straightened and she began to flail. "I said I thought Reo Mouri might have a rooster shrine!" she declared heatedly. "Don't put random words into my mouth! At least I didn't talk about some random club dedicated to me!" She crossed her arms over her chest and sniffed. "You're such an arrogant jerk!"

"Uhm, Mikan?" Ruka spoke up with a grin in his voice. "There actually _was _a club named after us. It was called the Natsume-Ruka fanclub." He grinned at her slack-jawed expression and shrugged. "Weirder things have happened at Alice Academy, but believe me when I say it definitely existed. It's disbanded now though."

Natsume smirked and she narrowed her eyes at him. "You should've just believed me," he drawled matter-of-fact. "I'm a man of my word."

"I've been told not to believe in sleazy looking people. I'm sorry," she almost sounded sincere.

It was a sorry comeback but the guys laughed from all around him. Koko ruffled her hair with a grin and even _he _couldn't help but smirk. "You think I look sleazy?" he asked in a low voice.

She looked down and flushed, flustered, and tugged at the end of her braid. "I think it's in the way you smirk. Or that gleam in your eyes. Either way, it makes me feel uneasy."

"I love this kid!" Koko guffawed and wrapped an arm around Sakura's waist and pressed her to his side. "Stop creeping her out with your face, Natsume!"

Natsume pleasantly kicked him in the shin which made him yelp and leap away from Sakura. She blinked before she narrowed her eyes back onto his red ones. "That wasn't very nice!" She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin up haughtily. "It's true. You should put it away before you hurt someone."

He snorted and it was just the right catalyst for the whole table to erupt in laughter.

She grinned impishly. "Are you all juniors then? Well, except Koko. I know Koko's a sophomore." After a moment, her eyes flickered back to him and she glared. "Yes, I'm in Koko's math class. Don't make fun of me because I'm not as smart as you are."

Natsume put his hands up in surrender. "You're jumping to conclusions, Sakura. I wasn't going to imply you were an idiot at all."

She narrowed her eyes even further before looking around the table. She seemed so worked up. "Did that sound as insincere as I think it did? At least I'm not…You—you're—"

"I'm what?"

She groaned and there were two pink spots on both of her cheeks. "You like making me freak out, don't you, _Hyuuga_?" She covered her eyes with one hand and peeked out at him from between her fingers. Whatever she saw made her groan again. "You can wipe off that smug look from your face."

"Do you _like _him, Mikan?"

Her head popped up and her eyes widened. "What? Who?"

Koko leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, "Natsume."

Natsume rolled his eyes and threw the empty soda can by his elbow at Koko's head and it bounced off with a dull clang. "Don't be an idiot. It's obvious she likes Iincho."

Her head snapped to attention once more before she put a finger to her chin in thought. "Well of course I like Iincho! If you're friends you've got to like each other right? He was my first friend here. Plus, he's really nice and helpful. He even showed me around the school when nobody else would!"

_Was she serious? _Natsume looked over at Ruka incredulously, only to find his blue eyes focused entirely on the oblivious brunette. There was a snicker from his left before Koko barked out a laugh. He watched as a slow smile made its way on Ruka's face.

She looked around curiously and tugged on her braid. "What? It's true! Did you know he helps me with my math homework at lunch sometimes when he has the time? He's very nice. Oh! Shoot! That reminds me I need to finish my homework!"

"Just finish it when you get home," Mochu prompted with a grin, putting his hands on her slim shoulders. "I can help you with your math after school if you want."

Ruka rolled his eyes. "Your help would probably make her flunk. Who's your teacher, Mikan?"

"We have Jin-Jin," Koko said, making a vomiting sound at the back of his throat. "I think he's out to get her too. He's always picking on her in class and you know how he is when you don't know the answer to one of his impossible questions…"

Natsume watched her bite her lip and could feel a sharp feeling of heat in his stomach.

He knew Jinno and the guy could be such an asshole.

"Well thanks for letting me sit with you guys!" She said popping up to her feet and accepting Koko's helping hand to take her feet out from under the picnic table. "I'll see you guys around! Have a nice day!"

"Bye Mikan," the boys chorused as one, grinning as she began walking toward the doors.

"Come tomorrow."

Seven pairs of eyes turned to look at him incredulously. One pair crinkled at the corners with a smile. "Thanks, Natsume-kun! Bye guys!"

She was out the door before his friends could comprehend what just happened. He didn't know what happened himself. The words seemed to fester in his belly and he didn't know he wanted her sitting back with them until the words left his lips.

He could feel the eyes still on him and he flicked the lip of his lighter and watched as the flame swayed with the subtle change in atmosphere. Then his eyes met Ruka's. There was an unasked question in his eyes.

"I called it," Koko declared, leaning forward into the table with a grin. "I _called _it and you tried to deny it but it's just _obvious._" There was a pause as he let those words sink in before he continued in a sing-song voice. "Natsume likes Mikan, Natsume likes Mikan!"

Natsume looked at him blankly. "Of course I like Sakura. If you're friends you've got to like each other right? She's my first friend here. Plus, she's really nice and helpful. She even showed me around the school when nobody else would." The sweet words did not mince well with the deadpan voice and dry tone.

The reaction to Koko's taunt had the desired effect.

Mochu, Kitsuneme and Ruka laughed.

"She's really…" Ruka struggled with the word. "She's really sweet, don't you think? Naïve too."

"She's just stupid," Natsume rolled his eyes, picturing her bright smile and sparkling eyes. _Yeah, stupid._

Koko looked at him knowingly. "Well, I'm glad you invited her to sit with us tomorrow. Do you see her face when you talk to her? Have you ever seen somebody _blush _like that?"

"_Somebody_ sounds like he has a crush," Kitsuneme joked and punched Koko in the arm.

Koko put his hands up and shook his head. "You know I've got the hots for—"

"The green-haired senior," Mochu rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, we know. I don't see how when you know she had the strangest obsession with Natsume and Ruka."

"She's _over _it and she disbanded that club for like…two years now," Koko said defensively. He laughed slightly before his eyes lifted to meet Natsume's. "But yeah, Mikan is really something else. She's really…sweet. Yeah. Fiery too."

Natsume couldn't help but wonder how one person could possibly charm all of his friends in less than half an hour.

-;-

Christmas was coming up in three weeks and he still hadn't gotten anything for his sister.

That was the only thought in Natsume's mind while he waited for Aoi in the student parking lot. School was over for the day and as always, Aoi was taking her sweet time talking to her friends. He waited against his car and tossed his keys intermittently with his left hand before a flash of brown hair caught his eye.

He turned just in time to see Mikan Sakura flying down the sidewalk. Her hair was barely kept together with her elastic and her expression was determined.

When he called out to her, she almost tripped flat on her face.

She whirled around, walking backward quickly, and waved to him. "Hi! I'm sorry, I really can't talk!"

It took him a second to put words together in his head and he found himself walking up to her as she walked away. She had a questioning lift to her eyebrows. He sighed. "What's the hurry?"

"I have to get to work! I'm going to be late at this rate!" He didn't bother hiding his surprise. She lifted her shoulders up in an apologetic shrug. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

His mind raced as he watched her. She turned around and began to jog once more. "Where do you work?" he called out.

She turned to look at him and smiled. "Thai Your Shoes."

* * *

><p><em>Thoughts? Too slow? More romance?<em>_ Longer chapters?  
><em>


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters and aspects of the plot belong to Tachibana Higuchi. The rest is mine.

**Author's Note:** Didn't expect a fast update, huh? :) Happy reading!

-;-

_Falling for her was the easiest thing he'd ever done.  
><em>

_-;-_

_-;-_

**Chapter Four  
><strong>

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive.  
><em>- Anäis Nin<em>_  
><strong><br>**_

-;-

Thai Your Shoes was a popular Thai restaurant in a touristy area of Tokyo called Central Town.

Natsume had no idea why the word 'shoes' was in the name, but the owners of the restaurant probably tried their hand at being clever with homophonic words. It was a sad attempt, to say the least, but the popularity of the restaurant and the mouth-watering dishes spoke for itself. Everybody he knew heard and dined at Thai Your Shoes so it didn't take much prompting to persuade his father to take them there for dinner.

…Especially when he offered to pay.

His father had been surprised, but other than a curious look, he hadn't asked any questions and Natsume had been thankful.

But that didn't stop Aoi.

"So what's the occasion, Natsume?" Aoi asked cheerily, barely keeping pace with him and his long strides. "It's not everyday dad tells me you offered to pay for dinner as long as we go _here_. What's so special about today?"

Natsume turned to his father and rolled his eyes at the cheeky grin directed at him. "Does a nice gesture from your brother, and your son, have to have some hidden motive?" Natsume asked coolly, continuing toward the restaurant. "I didn't say we had to go here specifically," he continued in a grumble. "But if I'm paying, I might as well have the choice of place."

Central Town was always packed and that meant parking spots were almost completely taken or hidden. Natsume cursed the long walk toward the restaurant which gave his family ample opportunity to ask their questions.

He was already regretting the split second decision to come there for dinner…especially when Aoi decided to go into detective mode.

"I smell a rat," Aoi sing-songed, curling her arm around his arm. "I know you like the back of my hand, brother. I _will _figure out what you've got hiding up your sleeve." She grinned slyly, before latching onto their father's arm. "Catch up, dad! You're falling behind!"

"All right. That's enough, Aoi." His father's voice was calm and soothing.

Thank God. Dad was finally stepping in.

Natsume looked at his dad and gave him a nod of thanks to which he replied with a shrug. Then his grey eyes pinned Aoi down once more. "Stop patronizing your brother. I don't see _you _ever offering to pay for dinner."

"That's because I don't have some kind of hidden agenda that would require me to pay for dinner," Aoi sniffed haughtily, grinning at him from underneath her eyelashes. Natsume glared at her, but she didn't seem to notice. "Trust me, dad. A little bird told me a little something about Natsume here and I think we'll find a _very _pleasant surprise at dinner today!"

_Koko._

_Annoying sophomores…  
><em>

"That's it." The vein at his temple pulsed and he sidestepped away from the entrance and started off to the restaurant next door. "We'll eat here instead," he said tonelessly, opening the door and looking at his sister and father expectantly.

Dad frowned. "But I thought you wanted to have Thai today, son."

His eyes narrowed onto his sister's identical red ones. "The nosy brat is getting on my nerves. We'll eat here today."

"Very mature. Don't be such a baby, Natsume," Aoi chirped with a sharp glint in her eyes. "You made reservations for Thai Your Shoes and you're damn well going to get it." She skipped over to the entrance, wiggled her fingers to usher them over and disappeared within the doors.

Dad looked at him in amusement before he too walked over to Thai Your Shoes. "She's as stubborn as you are, Natsume, and you know you want to have your Thai." Dad opened the door and quirked an eyebrow. "I'm curious to see the girl that's got you acting so out of character."

Natsume waited for four seconds, sighed and stalked toward his father. "Let's get this over with."

Dad only grinned. "So it _is _a girl?"

Natsume glared and elbowed his father in the arm, rolling his eyes at the chuckle that followed. It was good to hear his father laugh, but fuck if he wanted it at his expense. When they entered, Aoi was sitting quietly on one of the waiting chairs. When she caught sight of him, she popped up to her feet and flew over with a massive smile on her face. "So…which one is she?"

He ignored the wave of amusement coming off the both of them and looked around the restaurant, almost immediately finding Sakura balancing a stack of plates on one arm and grabbing two cups with her free hand. Her head was slightly tilted down to listen to something one of the patrons was saying. As she nodded, her eyes lifted up and met his. She faltered slightly with her plates, seemed to apologize to whoever she was talking to and sent him a questioning glance before she headed off to the kitchen.

It took her less than thirty seconds after that to subtly work the room and head over to where he was standing with his hands in his pockets.

What the hell was he _doing_ here? She would probably think he was some kind of stalker for coming here because he knew _she _would be here. He could feel the back of his neck warming and the thought made him want to run a hand through his hair.

She stopped before him. "Hi, Natsume!" she smiled cheerily, eyes wandering past him to look at his sister and father. "What are you doing here?"

He arched an eyebrow and looked at her with amusement. "This is a restaurant. It's dinnertime. You do the math." He paused when her eyes narrowed and felt a smirk inch at the ends of his lips. "Oh, that's right. You're not too good at Math, are you?"

"Natsume!" Aoi squawked indignantly, elbowing him in the gut. "That's not the way to talk to a girl!" She turned to Sakura and smiled one of her sweet, deadly smiles. "Hi, I'm Natsume's sister, Aoi! You're very pretty!"

Sakura looked down with embarrassment and bit her lip.

For Kami's sake…

He cleared his throat until Sakura looked up once more. "We have reservations for three. What section are you serving?"

The surprise on her face confused him but she quickly hid it with a sly smile. "Non-smoking section over there," she pointed quickly. She looked over his shoulder and balked. "Gotta run. Your hostess is coming. Later!"

She said it in such a rush, Natsume barely understood, but when the hostess went to seat them at their table, Natsume subtly asked to be seated in the non-smoking section Sakura would be serving. He ignored the pointed looks he was getting from his father and Aoi. Instead, once they were seated, he reached for the menu and scanned it thoroughly. Should he be difficult or take it easy on her?

In the midst of his ponderings, a voice broke through his silence.

"Hi, my name is Hana Masami and I'll be your server for today!"

The high-pitched voice that _did not _belong to Sakura made Natsume's neck snap upward. The girl had tumbling black hair like Aoi's and clear grey eyes. She looked around at the table before her eyes landed on him. She smiled a sultry smile his way, but he merely turned and scanned the restaurant once more, eyes locking onto Sakura's. She was watching with a grin on her face and when she saw him looking, she waved her notepad cheekily.

_She lied._

He should have been furious, annoyed or…_something_ but he wasn't.

_Cheeky girl._

"And what would _you _like, sir?" The server seemed to have a permanent, expectant smile on her face.

He glanced at the menu for another two seconds before deciding on the Pad Thai noodles. When the server left and he looked up, it was only to see both his father and sister grinning at him with far too much amusement in their eyes. He could feel a migraine pulsing at his temples.

"Spit it out," he muttered gruffly to Aoi. "I know you've got some smart ass comment to share."

"Natsume, don't curse at the dinner table," Dad said pleasantly.

He rolled his eyes and looked at Aoi pointedly. She merely flashed a wide grin his way. "Mikan duped you." At his questioning glance, she answered, "She had a nametag on her blouse. Don't distract me with your facial expressions. Mikan duped you! That was _so _cool!"

"I'm glad you find this so terribly funny," Natsume responded dryly, wiping at the condensation from his glass of water. "Why are you so excited about it?"

Aoi clasped her hands together patiently and leaned forward in her seat. Her red eyes were almost condescending. "You charm girls without even trying. My friends always ask to come over because they hope to catch you with your shirt off." Natsume didn't know whether to smirk or balk. He did a little of both. "Don't be so surprised. I don't know _why_, because it's not like you're in any sports or anything, but they think you're hiding an amazing body underneath your well-clothed exterior."

Natsume sent her a dry look.

"Their words, not mine," Aoi snorted deftly, causing their father to chuckle. "My point is it's nice to see a girl that doesn't do what you want her to. I'm sure that's the only reason you're interested in her, isn't it? You don't like it when things come too easy."

"You make it sound like I'm playing a game."

"Are you?" Dad asked vaguely, taking a sip from his glass of water. "Because your mother and I taught you better than that."

Natsume sighed and stared pointedly at the duo. "You're both jumping to conclusions. She's friends with Koko and he insisted she have lunch with us today. I've probably spoken to her twice. Now drop the stupid topic already. It's lovely to know you think so little of me."

"Touch-y!" Aoi said under her breath.

There was a pause before a voice cleared from behind him that immediately made his whole body stand on edge.

"Sorry for the wait," the server said cheerily, placing his order on the table and doing the same for his father and sister. "Please enjoy and if you need _anything _else, just wave me over and I'll be happy to help!"

His body was still on high alert even after the server left. _Too close._

"Eat up, Natsume," Dad said with a grin in his voice. "You're paying, after all. You might as well eat." Natsume glared over at him, but the man merely continued talking. "If you want to be friends with this girl, then by all means, that's no business of ours. _Right _sweetie?"

Aoi mumbled something incomprehensible.

"Good. I'm glad we understand each other. Aoi, stop giving your brother a hard time about whomever he likes or whatever he does." Grey eyes looked over at him. "Natsume, eat your dinner… and don't take your shirt off when Aoi's friends are at the house."

His jaw almost dropped before he said defensively, "I don't."

"Yeah, he doesn't," Aoi said airily. "My friends are just boy-crazy. Speaking of boys, why don't you bring Ru over anymore? Did you guys break up?"

"Ha. Ha," Natsume said dryly, dodging the jibe. "Ruka doesn't come over anymore because your friends practically mauled him at the door and blew our eardrums the last time. I go to his place. _He _doesn't have annoying little sisters to avoid."

"That happened _once_!" Aoi said indignantly. "Invite him over for dinner someday. Right, Dad? It'll be fun. Like old times."

His father shrugged casually. "I don't mind. He's a nice fellow."

Natsume watched Aoi grin and frowned. "The crush you have on Ruka is making me nauseous," he said solemnly, watching as a blush flew across her cheeks. "What happened to that punk you went on a date with last month? Bored of him already?"

"Hardly," his sister scowled sulkily. "He never called me back. I heard some senior was giving him a hard time but when I asked him about it, he only laughed nervously and ran off. I've never heard from him since. Did you have something to do with that_, brother dear_?"

_Good job, Mochu._

"Do I look like a senior to you?" He scoffed believably, looking straight into his sister's eyes. "I don't even know what the kid looks like."

"Yeah, well I told you his name! That would've been enough!"

"Right," Natsume rolled his eyes before he caught his father's nod of approval and equally protective eyes. "Was his name Nendo?"

Aoi narrowed her eyes. "Nendo is gay. It was Hoshino."

"Whatever. I had nothing to do with it."

She opened her mouth to say something more, but their father's pleasant voice cut in swiftly. "Aoi, stop accusing your brother and eat your dinner. No discussion." She sunk down in her chair sullenly and glared at him from across the table.

Natsume merely smirked.

"Is everything all right here?" The server asked politely, drumming her fingers against the table top. "How are your meals?"

"Everything is _perfect_, thank you," Aoi sat up quickly and smiled her one hundred watt smile. Her crimson eyes sparkled innocently, which instantly alerted Natsume to his sister's trouble-inducing persona. She sent him a sharp look before smiling back at the server. "Oh, your shoelaces are untied! You might want to do those up before you trip. That would be terrible!"

"Oh! Thank you." The girl looked down to see that her shoe was, indeed, untied, before she bent down to tie them up.

The Masami girl didn't know what hit her.

"Aoi!" His father's voice was shocked.

"I'm so sorry!" Aoi actually sounded genuine. She popped up from her seat and picked up the now empty glass of water before she dropped it back on the table. With an offer of her hand, Aoi said quickly, "Let me help you clean up in the bathroom! I can't believe I completely soaked your shirt! And it's white too! Stupid me!"

"You have _got _to be kidding me," Masami shrieked, shocked. "I—ugh, I'll clean myself up, thanks."

"Oh, but I _insist_!" Aoi replied cheerily, sending him a small, clever grin. "Natsume, I want the chocolate fountain cake," she said snootily before she escorted the girl to the bathroom by the kitchen.

There was a pause at the table before his father hissed darkly, "That girl is going to be in _big_ trouble when we get home. What the hell was she thinking!"

Natsume watched as the manager came out to tap Sakura on the shoulder and say a few words. It didn't take him long to figure out just what the hell Aoi thought she was doing. As he watched Sakura walk over from the corner of his eyes, he answered his father, "It was just an accident."

"Bullshit," Dad laughed under his breath. "That was probably the worst acting I've ever seen in my life. How did she become so manipulative? She gets that from your mother, you know." The wistful edge to his voice made Natsume look up, but before he could say anything, Sakura arrived to their table.

Her hair was braided and rested serenely on her left shoulder. She was all pale skin and cheer. Her skin seemed to pulse with a brightness that belonged only to her. She was small. Her head probably reached his chin at most. He didn't know how he could have ignored it the last three times they met, but she was striking. She wasn't exotic looking or the tall amazon beauty Mochu and Kitsu always raved about in the sports magazines or whatever they bought from the convenience store. She was…sweet looking with her big brown eyes, swan neck, subtly prominent cheekbones and an endearing rosy flush to her cheeks.

And she was smiling a little, shy smile.

"Well," she laughed slightly and met his gaze. "This is awkward. Would it mean something if I said I was sorry?"

He looked at her and arched an eyebrow. "It would if you actually meant it."

"Then I shouldn't say it." She decided, then turned to Dad and smiled sweetly. "Good evening, sir. I'll be your server for the rest of the night. Is there anything I can get you?"

Dad looked back at him for a second, then at his unfinished meal before nodding. "I'll take a cup of coffee, thank you."

She wrote the order swiftly onto her notepad before she turned to him. "And you?"

Her eyes were expectant and the smirk from her earlier comment was still on her lips. Natsume leaned back easily and said, "Sir."

"Excuse me?" He looked at her pointedly and she rolled her eyes. She inhaled deeply before scowling, "And would you like something else, _sir_?" She looked like she was calling him a bunch of other things in her head and the thought made him smirk.

He lifted his glass of water to his lips. "No, thank you."

She opened and closed her mouth before she sent him a vicious glare. "Very mature, Hyuuga," she snorted. Then her eyes widened before she turned to his father and hugged her notepad to her chest. "Oh, not you Mr. Hyuuga sir! Ack, I'm sorry! I'm just going to—" Her eyes flashed over to the kitchen and she motioned, or more like flailed, her arms in that direction. "I'm just going to _go_. I'm sorry!"

She fled.

Dad chuckled. "She's…that was interesting."

Natsume's eyes followed her before she disappeared into the back room. "Yeah, she tends to do that. Where's Aoi?" He asked as he began eating his dinner.

He watched as his father looked off with wistful eyes before he shrugged and went back to his meal. "I have no idea. But you know you're going to have to thank her for that stunt she pulled with Masami-san. Otherwise you'd have never gotten your little friend there to serve us like you wanted to from the start. Don't think I didn't see how much you enjoyed taunting her, son."

Natsume shrugged noncommittally. "I thought you didn't condone Aoi's behaviour. I hardly think I should thank her for ruining some girl's shirt."

"The hell you don't! Besides, I just dumped water on it. The only thing that happened was it became see-through. _She _should be thanking _me_. I got her the rest of the night off!" Aoi grumbled, dropping into her seat like the world's weight was on her shoulders. She flashed him a cheeky grin. "So… she came over?"

He figured he owed the snot nose a nod at least.

She squealed and clapped her hands together like a child before she turned to Dad with a grin. "So what did you think of her, dad? Do I need to worry about some airheaded chit or is she as cool as I hope she is?"

"Why don't you ask your brother that question?" He said calmly, finishing up his meal. "He seems to know her far better than I do. Better yet, you can ask her yourself. Here she comes."

Natsume ducked down when the both of them whirled around to look at her.

She paused before she placed the coffee down in front of his father. Then she looked at Aoi. "Hi, I'll be your server for the rest of the night. Is there anything I can—"

"You can sit with us!"

Sakura stepped back in shock before she shook her head. "I can't. I'm still on the clock," she said, gesturing to the kitchen. "Thank you, though! Do you guys want any dessert?" She was pointedly ignoring him, probably still embarrassed if the blush on her face was any indication. Natsume merely watched her for a second before he spoke up.

"One chocolate fountain cake."

Dad snorted and Aoi giggled quietly.

Sakura merely raised an eyebrow and wrote it swiftly onto her notepad. "Didn't peg you for a chocolate fountain cake kind of person," she said with a light laugh and a derisive edge to her voice.

"It's for me!" Aoi chirped quickly. "Natsume's more a red velvet chocolate cake kind of guy." Natsume glared at her for sharing that piece of information. Mom and he always loved red velvet cake best… If Aoi noticed his glare, she didn't make a show of it. Instead, she merely waved him off. "When do you get off work, Mikan? I can call you that, right?"

"Of course!" She smiled brightly. She turned to check the clock and Natsume took the opportunity to nudge (read: kick) Aoi from underneath the table. He hit her chair instead. She smiled wickedly before Sakura turned around to answer, "I still have another hour left of my shift." She shrugged apologetically and tapped her pen once against her notepad. "Did you want some dessert, Mr. Hyuuga?"

His father declined pleasantly and Natsume followed suit.

She looked at him with a sly grin. "You don't want any red velvet cake, _sir_?"

He snorted and arched an eyebrow. "Not tonight."

She laughed a pleasant, ringing laugh before she turned and grinned. "Okay, I'll come by in a bit. Enjoy!"

Finished with his dinner, Natsume pushed the plate over and placed the dinner napkin on the table. Without even looking at her, he could tell Aoi had a wide grin on her face. "You don't have to look so pleased for no apparent reason."

"I like her, Natsume," she said without preamble. For once, she had no teasing lilt to her voice. "She seems really nice. I think you need a nice girl."

"You've barely spoken two words to her," he pointed out coolly, looking from his father to his sister. "Look, this is really none of your business. Right now, we're just two people that know each other. We're not even friends. I'm not looking for anything. You know how I am."

"I do know how you are, Natsume." Aoi pointed her fork in his direction with a firm set to her lips. "Which is why I know when you're not acting the way you usually do. I mean, c'mon Natsume… when have you ever gone out of your way to pay for dinner at a certain restaurant just because some random girl you know works there?" He really couldn't explain that, but she wasn't looking for an explanation. "All I'm saying is, you have my blessing—"

"You've got to be kidding me."

"—and I promise not to manipulate your situation unless—"

"Sweetie, you are _not _going to bud in on your brother's—"

"—your pigheadedness prevents you from—"

"Can we stop talking about this when—"

"—don't have to be such a baby. I'm just trying to help out with your—"

"You're such a pain in my a—"

"Uhm."

The shy, hesitant voice broke the three of them from their argument. Natsume tamped down the urge to smack himself in the face and opted to look at her unrepentantly. Her brown eyes were wide and uncertain as she looked around the table. Her fingers tapped nervously on her notepad. "I—"

Aoi was the first to speak. "Hi Mikan! What year are you in?"

Sakura looked at him quickly and said uncertainly, "Eleventh? I'm sorry, was I interrupting a discussion? I can come back…"

"No, no," Dad said quickly, eyes quickly meeting his. "You've got perfect timing. I would love another cup of coffee."

"That's interesting," Aoi said in her sugary sweet voice, as if she wasn't interrupted. "You're in the same year as Natsume! Would you look at that? That's perfect!"

Sakura rubbed her arm uncertainly and tilted her head to the side in confusion. "How is that perfect?"

"Well you see—"

"It's the perfect time to grab the tab," he interrupted quickly, shooting his sister a dark look. He looked up at Sakura easily and arched an eyebrow. In his patented cool, detached voice, he said, "Hop to it, Sakura."

Almost immediately, her eyes narrowed, unimpressed. "Condescending little pig," she said under her breath so that only he could hear. At his smirk, she turned to his father. "I'll come back with another coffee and the tab then? Anything else?" She smiled when they all shook their heads. "All right. I'll be right back!"

When she was out of sight, Natsume turned to his sister and glared. "I'm going to make sure you never have a boyfriend, never mind get married, from now on."

-;-

It was early the next morning when he saw her next.

He never pegged her for an early riser, but the moment she appeared in front of him holding a small, white box, all doubts vanished. He lowered his manga and watched her suspiciously. She merely grinned and pushed the box closer. "Morning, Natsume!"

"What are _you _doing here so early?"

She bit her lip and scowled tightly. "I have to wake up early to get extra help with Math." She stuck her tongue out to display how unhappy she was about it before she flounced to his side and placed the box in his lap, grinning like an idiot.

"What's this?" He eyed her closely before his eyes moved back to the box. It was the right size for a small bomb.

She rolled her eyes. "Open it and see!"

"Is this some kind of offering to show your undying love for me?" he asked dryly, placing the manga and his lighter on the table. He heard her snort and he smirked at her before he grabbed the box and flicked the small tab open.

Inside the box was a perfect slice of red velvet chocolate cake.

He swallowed the small lump in his throat.

* * *

><p><em>Does that last scene look familiar? <em>:D _Here's a longer chapter! It's funny, you guys wanted longer chapters but readers for TBATB called for shorter chapters. I do read your reviews and take them into account so as ever, let me know what you think!_

_This will be 8-10 chapters at most and at the rate I'm going, I should finish this by the end of the month. Okay, maybe not. Who knows, my muse might just die tomorrow, haha. This just serves as a warning that you might not want to assume I'll be updating soon. I post the chapters once I finish them _(read: edit seven times)_ and I don't know when I'll start writing the next chapter. But FYI, this chapter marks the end of side character intervention and next chapter will be more MikanNatsume interaction. _:)_  
><em>


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters and aspects of the plot belong to Tachibana Higuchi. The rest is mine.

**Author's Note:** Congrats to **stars-dream18** for answering the scene parallel question correctly :) Another quick update, hey? Happy reading!

-;-

_Falling for her was the easiest thing he'd ever done.  
><em>

_-;-_

_-;-_

**Chapter Five  
><strong>

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being.  
>We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.<br>- _Albert Schweitzer__  
><strong><br>**_

-;-

The blood in his veins pulsed like fire as he looked for her during the lunch time rush.

He didn't know why he was so fired up about it. Koko merely told him Sakura was getting pushed around a bit by some other girls and he could feel a hollow feeling in his stomach at the thought of somebody pushing her around. She was so small…so fragile. She could break with the tip of a well-placed pinky. The thought of her being able to stand up and protect herself against a bunch of girls was impossible.

"_Permy is friends with her now."_

The innocent line didn't appease him like Koko meant it to. Sumire Shouda had been the president of his fanclub not too long ago and she wasn't the nicest girl in the world. In fact, if there was a category for 'Cattiest Girl', she would win it without question. She was a senior, but Natsume found himself in plenty of her classes. Being at the top of his year and taking advanced placement classes assured that… and he saw first-hand how cruel the girl could be. Sometimes he was glad he was on her good side.

He could feel his temper spike as he made his way through the crowd of students. Most of them made room for him, clearing a path at his deadly glare, but it was _looking _for her that got on his nerves. She was so fucking short, she practically disappeared in this crowd.

Finally, he grabbed the closest person to him, a sophomore girl, and said firmly, "Do you know where Mikan Sakura is?"

She looked surprised before a dark blush flooded her cheeks. "N-natsume—uh I…don't…"

"Never mind."

He whirled around and ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. It was impossible to find somebody during the lunch time rush. With thousands of students at Alice Academy, he had to be worried about the shortest one of them all. The thought made him pause, but before he could ask himself why he was worried, he caught sight of her hair—always her hair—and called out to her. "Polka Dots!"

She stilled before she looked around in confusion.

Their eyes met and a slow grin spread onto her lips.

He breathed a sigh of relief when she stayed where she was and allowed him to come get her. She had a book bag hanging off one shoulder that crossed across her torso and hung on her opposite hip and held her math book to her chest. Her hair was the usual plait down her shoulder but to top it off, she wore a polka-dotted headband. The name he called her flashed behind his eyes and effectively put a smirk on his lips.

"Polka Dots?" she asked dryly, looking for an opening to merge into the rush. "That's new."

He tapped her headband and smirked when she looked up at him in surprise. "It worked, didn't it?" She pressed her lips into a thin line to hide her amusement and he took her gently by the elbow to steer her into the rush. She walked obediently beside him, never straying, and he saw a smile playing at her lips.

"What's wrong with you?"

She shrugged and grinned. "The crowd parts for you. You're like Moses parting the sea. That is _so _cool. It usually takes forever for me to get from my class to my locker during lunch time without taking an elbow to the face so this is…this is nice." She looked up to smile at him. She was always smiling. "So what's up, Natsume? Did you just want to fill your Good Samaritan quota for the day or did you want something from me?"

The thought of her taking an elbow to the face made a chill go up his spine.

When they stopped off at her locker, he realized he was still holding her elbow. He let go quickly, but she didn't seem to notice. Fitting the words around his tongue and watching her place her books into her locker, he waited until she looked back at him before he spoke. "You're friends with Sumire Shouda."

She looked at him strangely. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Koko told me. Look," he began uncertainly, watching as she stood against the door of her locker. "Is she giving you a hard time?"

Her eyes widened before a grin stole across her lips. "What? No! Where would you get an idea like that?" she laughed, reaching into her bag to pull out a granola bar and a water bottle. "Permy's really nice to me. She tends to act like she doesn't care, but she's the one that sticks up for me whenever…" She bit her lip to prevent her from finishing her thought.

His blood froze. "—Whenever you get picked on?" he finished coldly.

She closed the door of her locker and snapped the lock shut before she turned to him with a sigh. Her eyes were wide and sincere, completely unbothered, and completely not how he was feeling. "It doesn't happen very often," she said casually. "The new kid always gets picked on. It's happened to me before and it'll happen again. It's just harmless pushing and a few words that do nothing more than prove how petty some people are. They'll get bored of me before you know it and we'll all just laugh about it after Christmas."

He tried to keep his voice even. "Do I look like I'm laughing right now?"

How could she be so dismissive? He looked her up and down, checking for visible signs of violence but saw nothing but pale, perfect skin and thin wrists. When he gazed back at her, her eyes were amused and her left eyebrow was arched. "Done checking for injuries, dad?"

"Yes," he said seriously, easing her down the hall with a hand on her elbow. "Girls can be brutal. You're not the first one to be picked on at this school, but you're the only one—" _that I care about._ The thought made him pause and he continued quickly, "—that doesn't deserve it. What did they say to you exactly?"

She took a swig of her water bottle before licking her bottom lip. Then she looked at him thoughtfully and it looked like she was debating on whether or not to tell him the truth. He could probably tell if she was lying. She didn't look the type to be good at deception. "Would you rather a lie or the truth?" she said with an honest, reluctant grin.

"A lie," he deadpanned with a sardonic edge to his tone.

"Well," she said with an exaggerated sigh, "—they think I should be Queen. I have the right style for it and under me, they would serve loyally each and every day of their lives. I'm the prettiest, smartest girl they've ever met," she said with a casual shrug. "This school is too small for somebody of my grace and talent so perhaps I should leave and take them with me. They think I can rule the world. I probably could too, if I really wanted to. It would be easy actually. I could be a seductress and enchant men of great power to do my bidding and when the intellectual world is at my mercy, I'll be able to—"

"Okay," he interrupted with a roll of his eyes, "Honestly."

She beamed up at him before she settled her eyes forward toward the cafeteria. "They said I didn't deserve to hang out with you and the guys…that I must have done something to bribe you guys to let me hang out with you at lunch. Apparently you never have girls sit at your table and I must have done something _very nice _to be the first." She chuckled and her voice was so falsely bright that it made a lump lodge itself at the base of his throat. She looked at him and smiled wryly, "Don't worry, Natsume. I'm a big girl. This doesn't bother me."

He could tell she was lying.

Why would she still try to smile?

It was like she was trying to convince herself that she was fine…that she was happy. How many smiles had he seen were real? When he looked at her from the corner of his eyes, it seemed so obvious she was faking it now, but before? She hadn't had lunch with them for two days…was she trying to avoid them because of what those girls had said about her?

A warm hand touched his before she pulled on his pinky. The contact made him blink down at their hands before he brought his eyes up to meet her gaze. She smiled now, a genuine smile. "Thank you for worrying, Natsume, but it'll be fine."

The fire flared in his veins. "If you weren't bothered by it, why didn't you come to have lunch with us yesterday? Or the day before?"

She looked surprised and her eyes widened before she looked down, a small smile still on her lips. "I had to get some help with my Math. Jin-Jin doesn't eat, remember? He's a robot so…and plus I need all of the Math help I can get."

"You're a terrible liar," he said immediately.

She peeked up from her eyelashes and hid a wince. "I know." She let go of his pinky and bit her lip once more. "It's the truth…just not the whole truth. I'm sorry."

Natsume stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked at her carefully, taking in her slumped shoulders and bowed head. "You don't have to apologize," he told her finally.

"A friendship isn't a friendship if it's based on lies," she said matter-of-fact, smiling with a sad curve to her lips. "And I want us to be friends…you and me."

The words made something inside him stagger and he found the only thing he could do was nod. "Then…then tell me the truth, starting now. Correct that half-truth you just told me."

She paused and looked at him thoughtfully for a long moment.

Then, she nodded, squared her shoulders and looked him right in the eyes and he could see the honesty shining from within them. "I didn't _have _to get help from Jin-Jin. I go three mornings a week already to get more help. It's just…I thought it would be—" She closed her eyes for two seconds before she opened them once more, glowing with resolve. "I thought it would be easier if I just avoided you for a little bit. Just for a little while for the girls to cool down. I figured I might as well do something productive and it's not like they can push me around when I'm with a teacher right?" She chuckled softly and rubbed her arm with the water bottle. "It didn't exactly work. They said my avoiding you guys just proved them right. I don't know what to do to win."

_Like it's a game._

He clenched his fists in his pockets as a million thoughts raced through his head. What could he do? He hated dealing with girls. They were so much trouble. At least with guys, he could punch them in the head and they'd get the message. Everything was different with girls. He never knew how they would take things. Would intervening only cause her more trouble?

Vaguely, he saw the granola bar in front of his eyes before she tapped him lightly on the forehead with it. "Stop over thinking it, Natsume," she said seriously. Her eyes were grateful but firm. "I know you're worried, but I can take care of myself. I _want _to take care of myself. I don't need you looking after me." She put one hand on her hip and clenched her jaw. She actually looked solemn. "If you do anything, I swear to Kami, I'll be so angry with you."

"I'm so scared," he deadpanned sarcastically.

She hit him in the arm and narrowed her eyes sternly. "I'm serious, Natsume. Promise me you won't interfere?"

He didn't expect it to be so hard to say. It was just two words…two simple words. He could have lied, but the thought of disappointing her made a bitter taste settle in his mouth. She looked at him pointedly and he could do nothing more than nod. "I promise."

He didn't expect her to flip him the bird and the complete turn of events made him gaze at her in surprise. She wiggled her middle finger in the air and smirked at him. "It's like a pinky swear," she said simply, eyes gleaming with mirth. "But pinkies don't swear." She held her middle finger out to him and with amusement, he clasped their middle fingers together and shook on it. "It would be more potent if we spat on each other's hands," she remarked casually.

He looked at her incredulously and she burst out with a ringing laugh that made the corners of his lips turn up. "Obviously we're not going to do that!" She grinned and pulled the cafeteria doors open. Before she stepped through, she looked at him seriously. "Break that promise, Hyuuga, and you're dead to me. Understand?"

He would have rolled his eyes if she wasn't so serious.

So he nudged her forward into the cafeteria and said low in her ear, "I won't disappoint you."

-;-

As usual, Aoi was taking her time saying goodbye to her friends which left Natsume leaning idly against his car to wait for her. The annoyance was minimal as he kept a lookout for Polka Dots. He wondered why he never noticed her for the first two months of school, but she always ran right by his car on the way to work or back to her place.

He twisted his keys around his fingers and smirked when he caught sight of her. This time he didn't have to shout out to catch her attention because it seemed she was looking for him too. The thought made him warm.

She smiled when she walked over. "Hi!"

"Do you have work today?" he asked without preamble.

She laughed and shook her head. "No, but I've got lots of homework to do." At his questionable glance, she scowled half-heartedly. "Math, of course. The bane of my existence…"

He smirked at her and she rolled her eyes at his unvoiced taunt.

"I can help you."

He didn't know who was more surprised, him or her. He didn't have a problem helping her, it was true…but he was never one to offer his help for anything unless someone asked for it. He swallowed at the meaning for his actions, but didn't dwell on it for long. She was looking at him and chewing the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. "Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it," he responded roughly, rubbing at the back of his neck.

She paused carefully, pulling at the strap of her book bag in what looked to be like nerves. Why she was nervous, Natsume wasn't quite certain. She bit her lip before she said, "And you're good at sophomore math, are you, sir?"

Whatever he was expecting her to say, it was not that, and the surprise made a scoff slip by him. "Do you really need me to answer that?" He shook his head wryly. "You're an idiot, Polka Dots. You need all of the help you can get."

"Hey!" She smacked him on the arm with the back of her hand. "Do you always have to point out how much of an idiot I am?"

"Only when you say or do something stupid," he responded easily, shifting the keys around in his hand. "Which seems to happen very often." She squawked something in his ear, but the sight of Aoi coming toward him with a group of her friends distracted him. Aoi's eyes were lit with a smile when she saw Mikan standing beside him and he could read only a handful of words from her lips when she spoke quietly to her friends.

He wouldn't have caught the word if he wasn't looking for it. _Girlfriend. _

Aoi's friends did not look very happy for him.

"Hi Natsume!" Her two friends chorused with identical smiles on their faces.

He nodded back at them.

Their smiles were different than Mikan's and he didn't like it very much. Vaguely he wondered at what point he started calling Polka Dots 'Mikan' in his head. He didn't dwell on it for too long because Aoi jumped to Mikan's side in a heartbeat and was chattering away like they were best friends. She didn't seem to mind, but he didn't want Mikan talking to her. Or anybody when she was with him.

"Aoi, do you need a ride or what?" He tried, but he couldn't keep the irritation from his voice. Aoi merely darted a look over her shoulder and grinned without responding and opted to continue whatever she was saying to Polka. Her friends, on the other hand, had no problem with this and tried to pull him into a conversation about why he didn't try out for the soccer team with Ruka.

He responded curtly before poking his sister in the side to catch her attention. "I'm helping Polka Dots with some homework today, so the sooner you get your ass in the car, the sooner I can smarten her up."

"Hey!"

The both of them ignored her.

"Study session, huh?" Aoi said with a clever grin on her face. "All right. You two have fun _studying _and I can hitch a ride with Ruka! He's still here right?" She craned her neck to look behind him to find Ruka's car and a slow smile curved at her lips. "Yup. He probably has soccer practice or something. Okay! Play safe and don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

She side stepped him easily and clasped the arms of both of her friends with a grin. "Girls, we're watching Alice's soccer practice. Let's go!" She flashed a look over her shoulder. "Nice seeing you again, Mikan!"

Natsume turned to look at the brunette girl beside him with an exasperated sigh, then opened the passenger door of his car. "Your chariot," he said dryly, stepping aside for her.

"Why thank you." She shook her head in amusement. He made certain no limbs were hanging out before he closed her door. He walked around to the driver's side and started up the car before peeling out of the school parking lot. They waited at the light when she said, "Your place or mine?"

He could feel a flush inch up his neck before he shot her a dark look. She seemed oblivious to the implications of her question and he sighed before murmuring, "Mine. Dad is expecting me…" he paused and groaned at the thought of his father finding out about this. "On second thought…your place might be better."

-;-

Natsume wondered if this was some kind of sick joke of hers.

"You live at a hotel?"

The words were out of his mouth before he could reel them back. He watched her shrug nonchalantly as if it was the most natural thing in the world. She pulled her book bag closer, a nervous gesture he became accustomed to, and led the way into the lobby.

"Good afternoon, Hitoshi-kun," she smiled to the older boy manning the front desk. He nodded at her and stuttered a reply that made Natsume ashamed of the male species. The boy was being too obvious. He looked to be about four years older than they were and yet he couldn't keep the blush out of his cheeks or the dilation from his eyes. He looked star struck.

Natsume put a hand at the small of Mikan's back and herded her casually into the elevator before she could analyze the older boy's reaction. From the looks of it, she didn't notice anyway. She reached past him to press the ninth floor and he caught a whiff of her sweet scent. It wasn't strawberries or lavender or whatever other shit…it was indescribable. Just sweet and Mikan.

"I know it's kind of weird," she broke the silence and fiddled with the strap of her bag. She looked up at him nervously from underneath her lashes and was quick to explain, "My Grandpa died three months ago and my parents were gone long before that." The elevator pinged on the ninth floor and she snapped her lips shut when the doors opened. She smiled hesitantly and led him down the left hallway before she pulled out a key card and opened the door.

She inhaled a quick breath, peeked up at him and then opened the door.

It wasn't a penthouse or anything, but it was impressive.

When he made the decision to help her study at her place, he wasn't expecting _this. _It seemed Mikan Sakura was full of surprises. He found it hard to believe. "How could you have afforded to live in a hotel room for the past two and a half months?"

She dropped her bag on the coffee table of the sitting room and flopped down onto the couch in front of the television set before she looked at him carefully. She had that look on her face like she was debating on the truth or a lie again. Finally she patted the spot beside her and it took a second of thought before he carefully took the seat.

She turned in her seat to face him and looked at him carefully. Then she clasped her hands together and laughed lightly. "It's probably a weird story… When my mom was in high school, and when she already found my dad, a boy who ended up becoming her best friend fell in love with her. You probably don't want to hear about all of the drama that happened, but he loved her despite it being unrequited and all that. They were still best friends throughout the years. He would follow her to the ends of the earth if he could…but he started his business and he couldn't stick around for extended periods of time. I barely remember him growing up. He'd come down twice a year maybe."

She was clasping her hands so tight, her knuckles were turning white, but Natsume didn't know what to do and she continued with her explanation with barely a pause. "When I was born, Shiki was named my godfather…so when dad and then mom died, he was supposed to take care of me. I didn't really know him, but mom trusted him. He wanted me to live with him, but I wanted to stay with Grandpa. In the summers, we would stay at our cabin in Nagoya with Grandpa. I loved him and he was family and I knew he was getting old. The neighbours offered to check in with him but I wanted to take care of him. He lived for another five years after that before he died too."

She quickly got to her feet and the movement surprised him, but she merely started to straighten up the pictures on the ledge in front of the big picture windows. "Uncle Kazu offered me a place at his house, but he already had a family and I didn't want to make his daughters have to share a bedroom so that there would be a room for me." When she was finished straightening out the pictures, she started pacing the length of the room. "I was going to rent an apartment for myself…just a small one room apartment with the money I got from my parents but when Shiki heard about it, he flew down to get me. He owns this hotel chain," she said with a gesture to the room. "He told me the story about him and mom… and asked me to let him take care of me. I could tell he cared a lot about mom. I already knew him from the stories she would tell. He wanted me to live with him, but he was always travelling or out for business so I asked him for a room here. He said that was easy and the rest…well…you know what they say."

She was gripping the hem of her shirt with tiny fists and a nervous look on her face. Natsume wondered what she was so nervous about. Surely she didn't think he was going to judge her? It just made him hyper aware of their differences…how much more capable she was compared to how she looked. She looked like a child with the responsibilities of an adult. Did she really live here by herself? She came home after school and work to an empty hotel room with a nice view?

His chest ached.

"You live here by yourself?" he asked softly and watched as she bit her lip.

She nodded slowly but was quick to explain, "Uncle Kazu comes to visit at least once a week to see how I'm doing. If I don't see him at school, he calls me."

He blinked and could feel the confusion clouding into his mind. She saw him at school…? "What did you just say?"

"Uncle Kazu works at Alice Academy…" She looked at him strangely before a laugh lit up her face. "Uncle Kazu works at Alice Academy," she repeated, "But you probably know him as Principal Yukihira." At the look on his face, she explained patiently, "My dad and Uncle Kazu have the same mother. They're half brothers. Or were…"

She shrugged and sat on the coffee table to face him. "He takes care of all of my school expenses, Shiki takes care of all of this," she looked around the room pointedly. "He would have paid for everything else, but I didn't want to just sit around. I feel like I've become a burden. I barely remember Uncle Kazu. His visits were always brief. Dad loved him though. He thought Uncle Kazu was the greatest."

She blinked and looked back to him and Natsume was startled at her nervous laugh. "Sorry, I'm boring you with my stories!" She began pulling out the books from her bag and turned to narrow her eyes at him. "I'm going to put your math skills to the test, Hyuuga. Fair warning. Let's see if your talents match up to that smart mouth of yours."

He watched silently as she sat down by his feet and stuck the end of her pencil in her mouth before she flipped her math book open. He knew they came back here to study, but he got so much more from it. This girl was really…words weren't nearly enough to describe her.

He usually hated listening to girls speak. They were either air-headed or told him irrelevant facts about themselves that he could really care less about. But with her, it was just different. He wanted to know everything about her. The sound of her voice made him feel that familiar feeling he thought he lost when his mother died. That, too, was hard to describe with words.

"Why do you work if everything is paid for?" He asked, leaning down to distract her from the math page that captivated her attention.

Their faces were so close and he could see he caught her by surprise. Her eyes flew open, wide and brown, before she leaned back and squeaked, "Wh-what are you doing?"

The reaction made a smirk pull at his lips, but he wanted to hear her answer. He leaned back and waited, repeating the question. "Oh…food. I didn't want Uncle Kazu and Shiki to have to take care of _everything_. They've already done so much for me…taking care of me when we're all kind of strangers to each other." He looked down at her. Was that the reason she was so thin and fragile looking? She searched his face and whatever she saw made her frown. "You worry too much, Natsume. I'm a server at a restaurant. I get as much food as I want and room service here is free for me. Shiki made sure of that. I have everything I need so you don't have to worry about me not getting enough to eat. I'd consider myself lucky!"

She patted him on the knee before turning back to the math book. "Okay, homework time! I want to exploit your boy-genius powers as much as I can before you have to leave." She glanced at the clock on the wall before she whistled. "Two hours wasted because of my big fat mouth." She turned to look at him and smiled wryly. "Time just seems to fly by with you, geez!"

His ribcage seemed to contract around his heart.

_I'll say._

* * *

><p><em>I hope this explains a lot of things that you guys have been wondering. Oh, I have a favour to ask. I'd appreciate it if you guys could point out one or more things you <em>**dislike **_about this story or chapter. That will help me improve my writing immensely!__  
><em>

_Thanks for reading and reviewing so far everyone :)  
><em>


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters and some aspects of the plot belong to Tachibana Higuchi. The rest of the story is mine.

**Author's Note:** Okay, the response for last chapter was _definitely _what I was looking for. The last chapter was more of a filler which is why it was more descriptive with less action, but you guys gave me a lot of things to think about. A shout out to **Book digester **for pointing out the 'step-brother'/'half brother' mistake I made last chapter. (: Happy reading!

-;-

_Falling for her was the easiest thing he'd ever done.  
><em>

_-;-_

_-;-_

**Chapter Six  
><strong>

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.  
>- <em>Ralph Waldo Emerson<em>  
><em><em>  
><em><em><br>**  
><strong>__

-;-

Polka Dots wasn't actually stupid.

She definitely wasn't the brightest light bulb either, but if there was anything Natsume noticed about her as he helped her with her math, it was that she picked up equations and concepts far faster than he expected her to. She whined about the pointlessness of mathematics in her life and cheered loudly when she answered questions correctly. She was easily discouraged and he didn't try to encourage her…he didn't know how. He suspected her disinterest in the subject and her procrastination led her to do so poorly.

Not to mention she was easily distracted by '_the pretty lights outside!',_ the constant calls of her stomach and conversations that nearly always ended with her talking about her parents, her best friend or work at Thai Your Shoes.

She was a handful…always chattering about something nonsensical, smiling to hide her true feelings and being nosy.

Yet two days and the weekend without seeing her made Natsume extremely aware he didn't mind her loud, excited voice too much. They texted each other occasionally, but she was too busy with work and the both of them had a dozen tests and assignments before Christmas break.

She spent most of her lunches catching up on assignments and today wasn't any different.

The cafeteria was filled to the brim. It was the beginning of the last week of school before the break and nobody could afford to skip school now that tests were being held every day of the week in every class with assignments due every other period. It was just another reason Natsume couldn't stand the Christmas season. He was a firm believer in the weekly off-day but the haul of schoolwork made that almost impossible. Despite his aloof personality, he took pride in his almost flawless academic record. Too bad it meant he had to tolerate the increased chatter and attention at lunch.

Snow never lasted in Tokyo for more than a few days so the gang opted to keep their jackets on and snag their customary table out in the courtyard just outside the cafeteria. The courtyard was a wide open space in the heart of Alice Academy decked out with stone benches and picnic tables, gardens and flowers and a small open field of grass perfect to sprawl on during summer weather.

The chill in the air felt crisp on Natsume's skin.

Every seat at their table was full and Koko's chatter dominated all. They never really talked about girls, but with the Christmas dance coming up, Koko seemed almost desperate. Despite the cold, he was wearing a simple long-sleeved button-up and trying not to flail his arms about. "She keeps telling me she doesn't want to go with me!" He muttered sulkily with his head settled on his crossed arms. "I don't get it!"

"Maybe that means she…oh, I dunno, _doesn't want to go with you_?" Mochu said pointedly, taking a bite of his pizza. Half-chewing, he continued, "I don't get why you want to go with her so bad. She treats you like shit on a stick."

Ruka groaned from beside him. "Thanks for the visual," he said gruffly, pushing his chocolate pudding away with a frown.

Kitsuneme grabbed it gratefully.

Ruka rolled his eyes. "Have you even spoken two words to her? She probably thinks you're some kind of stalker."

Natsume smirked at that and Ruka returned his mirth with a grin.

Koko didn't find it so funny. "Of course I talk to her!" He turned to look at Natsume earnestly. "Permy and I have history! I don't just hang out with _you_ guys, you know! I actually have friends that are girls and Permy is one of them!" He looked around the table when the low snickers started and fought the grin off his face to replace it with a half-hearted, offended expression. "Where do you think I go after soccer practice?"

"To your mom?"

Ruka laughed at that and the table broke up with laughter.

Koko scowled and brown eyes narrowed with offence. "Ha. Ha. You guys are so funny."

"There's nothing special about the Christmas Dance," Natsume said lowly, twisting his lighter around on the surface of the table without looking. His eyes were dark against his face. "You've never been this excited to go before."

Koko looked down, thoughtful but embarrassed enough to let some of his hair cover his eyes. "Yeah well…Permy's graduating this year," Koko said with a shrug. "I want to hang out with her as much as I can before she goes to University. Who knows!" His permanent, optimist grin was back on his face. "Maybe, if I pull out enough charm, she'll agree to go out with me before she leaves!"

Ruka shifted from beside him with a wistful expression on his face. "Go for it," he nodded decisively. "Shouda is nice enough and there's no point in living life if you're just getting by, right?" At the curious looks, Ruka shrugged with a boyish grin that Natsume knew was potent to the girls of Alice Academy. "Narumi's got me reading too many books about regret. So sue me."

"Well she's hot at least," Mochu was unconcerned. "It barely makes up for her nasty attitude. You remember how mean she used to be, right Natsume?"

He looked at him slowly before Polka's voice reverberated through his head. Normally, Natsume would have agreed, but Shouda stuck up for her. That had to mean something. He shrugged noncommittally before focusing his gaze back to his lighter. "She's not so bad."

Mochu's jaw dropped. "She's terrible!"

Koko flashed him a dark look. "You bought lunch last week so I'm just going to forget you said that," Koko said airily, elbowing him in the gut. "She _is _nice. She just doesn't show it. Just like Natsume here!"

At that, Natsume kicked him from underneath the table.

"Speaking of Natsume," Ruka turned to him with a grin. "—Are you planning on taking Mikan this year? You hang out with her more than you hang out with me now." His voice was so falsely jealous, Mochu and Kitsuneme grinned.

Natsume rolled his eyes at the jeering before he arched an eyebrow at Ruka. "I don't go to school dances."

"Not _truuuuuue_," Koko sang with a massive grin on his face. "You went last year for the Spring Fling. Don't even try to get yourself out of that one! Everybody saw you and the girls around here couldn't stop going on and on about _how good Natsume looked, oh my! _for weeks afterward." He dodged the bottle cap Ruka threw at him and lifted an eyebrow. Solemnly, he said, "Natsume's the dancing queen."

Ruka snickered from beside him.

Natsume didn't find it so funny. "Do you _want_ me to kill you?"

"He's got a point though," Mochu piped in before he cowered at the dark glare. "What? You _did _go!"

"With my sister," he said dryly, flicking his lighter on and holding it up to the corner of his napkin. "I hardly think that counts. I refused for as long as I could before she pulled the sick card and told me I had to show how excited I was for her to be out of the hospital."

"And we all knew how excited you were," Ruka laughed, running a hand through his hair to get his blond bangs away from his eyes. "Didn't you leave before the dance was halfway over?"

"He didn't last _that _long," Koko's eyes were bright with amusement when he looked away from the burning paper. "He left after forty-five minutes."

Natsume turned to scan the courtyard once more and ignored the jibes. "You can't blame me. That dance was brutal," he said coolly once the snickers died down. He looked pointedly at Ruka. Ruka probably got it much worse than he did since he was the resident jock at the academy. "There were girls everywhere. It was suffocating."

"You're so cocky," Ruka smirked knowingly.

Natsume shrugged before he sat up to pull his wallet from his back pocket. "Who wants a hotdog?"

"I do!" Kitsuneme and Mochu called simultaneously, oblivious to the suspicious looks Ruka and Koko were sending to Natsume.

"Great," he responded, pulling out some money. "While you're getting your hotdogs, get one for me."

"Hey!" both voices sputtered.

When they left, Natsume lifted an eyebrow sardonically at the two remaining and gazed at them unrepentantly. Koko cracked before Ruka did. "Mikan said she wanted to go," he said feebly, trying to shrug it off. "I figured since you're good friends, you could take her."

Natsume frowned. "We're not good friends. I met her less than three weeks ago."

Ruka looked at him incredulously. "Friendship isn't measured by how long you've been friends. You know that as well as I do, Natsume." Natsume shot him a dark look, but Ruka was unbothered. Instead, he pulled his shirt sleeve up to his elbow and sighed. "Look, you've known Koko for four years and I've known you since we were eight. Koko's just as good a friend to you as I am and yet it took two weeks for you to tell Mikan about your mom. Compared to how long _we _waited to hear about it, that's saying something."

"Well said," Koko nodded mechanically before he arched his eyebrow.

Natsume leaned back. "You two have thought about this long and hard, have you?"

The both of them shared an uneasy look before Ruka met his gaze coolly. "We did some thinking when you bailed on us to help her study. It's not a bad thing to be friends with a girl and Mikan's really nice…" Ruka shrugged to show he wasn't trying to make it a big deal. "It was just a question. Mikan told Shouda she wanted to go and I figured if you ended up going at all, it would be with her."

He really wasn't the dancing type and the thought of going to a social event with more girls than guys always made him nervous. He had learned early on that girls had an affinity toward his looks and the memories of his younger years getting hassled by them always prevented him from going anywhere else. He hadn't even thought of going to the dance at all, with Polka or otherwise. They were tentative friends and nothing more. They probably thought he had romantic feelings toward her, but in all honesty, he just cared about her.

She was so helpless.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Koko looked at him with a deadpan expression. "Obviously you don't have to force yourself to go. It was just a suggestion. If you don't want to go with Mikan, she can go with someone else or go by herself. Like you said, it's just a school dance. It's no big deal."

Natsume looked at his best friend. "Are you going this year?"

At this, Ruka laughed and shook his head. "Dances are really just for the girls. You know I'm not much of a dancer. I would go if I had somebody special to go with, but as it is, I would rather not." Then his blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. "But I'll go if you go."

"A special girl, huh?" Koko said sneakily, looking around to check if anybody was eavesdropping on them. The courtyard, however, remained almost deserted due to the cold weather. Koko turned back to them with a grin. "I heard you've got a bunch of requests already, Jock Strap. Nobody's caught your eye yet?"

"Don't call me that," Ruka frowned, leaning his head against the palm of his hand. "And obviously not or I would have made a move already. The dance is in four days. I'm not a last minute kind of person like Natsume." At the mention of his name, Ruka turned to him curiously, "How many have asked _you _to the dance?"

The most recent request flashed before his eyes. He scowled when a sour taste settled in his mouth, "Four today. Thirteen since last Thursday."

"I've gotten eleven," Koko grinned wolfishly, stretching his arms across the table before cracking his back. "They're really sweet though. Most of them brought me cookies and everything!" His eyes brightened considerably. "Now if _Permy_ did that, I would die a happy man!"

Ruka grinned before he peered over Koko's shoulder. "I wonder what's taking MoKitsu so long."

There was a pause before Ruka shrugged.

"MoKitsu?" Koko seemed to consider the name with brown eyes looking heavenward. "Cute," he decided with a smirk. "They do have a bromance going on, don't they?"

Ruka snickered and looked over at Natsume. "It's not as good as yours. They call you—get this—NatsuMikan."

The nickname made Natsume frown as he pictured Mikan in his head. "Who the hell made _that _up?"

"Do you really think anybody knows? Rumours travel like forest fires around here. I heard it from some girls in my English class though," Ruka murmured carefully with a smile playing on his lips. "I know you said some girls were giving Mikan a hard time for hanging out with you, but it seems like she's made a few friends too. The girls in my class think you make a good pair."

Before he could act on the disagreement in his throat, Koko jumped in with a conspiring whisper, "They say she tamed the wild beast inside you."

Natsume almost laughed until he saw Shouda walk toward them. Koko's eyes visibly brightened. Natsume could feel disgust and disbelief shine through his stony expression. "What the fuck is wrong with these people?" he muttered lowly.

"Well _I _think it's cute," Shouda dropped down in the vacant spot beside him and avoided the boyish grin on Koko's face. "Rumour has it you two are the next Tsubaki couple."

At this, Natsume could feel a dark heat on his neck. Who the hell would think Polka Dots and he were like…like _them_?

Shouda raised a perfectly arched, green eyebrow and said airily, "It's caused somewhat of an uproar among the girls. Mikan doesn't exactly fit the Misaki cut-out."

There was a long silence before Koko scratched the back of his neck. "You lost me. What?"

Shouda rolled her green eyes before finally meeting Koko's. "Tsubasa Andou and Misaki Harada. You were either a freshman or still in middle school when they were seniors here but you have to have heard about those two. They're legends at the Academy."

At Koko's blank stare, she threw her hands up.

"They were childhood friends growing up, always bickered back and forth…Tsubasa-senpai was popular among the girls and Misaki-senpai was popular among the guys, but they were never interested in anybody but each other," Ruka narrated with a grin. "They kept saying they were just 'friends' even though everybody else could tell otherwise. They graduated and still haven't admitted to anything." Ruka's amusement almost seared into his side. "You remember him, don't you, Natsume? He always came around to—"

He interrupted Ruka with a grunt and turned to look out at the garden. Andou had always been a pain in his side and even though he was in his third year at Alice University, he had _still _managed to annoy him. The irritating bastard had taken it upon himself to imply that he was probably homosexual or defective because he never paid much attention to humans of the female persuasion.

_Bastard._

"Rumour or not," Natsume growled decidedly, "—Polka Dots and I are nothing but friends. They can talk all they want, but that's not going to change."

Shouda didn't look surprised in the least when she turned to pin green eyes onto his. "So you're not taking her to the school dance either?"

"Wasn't planning on it," he responded blandly, crushing the blackened remains of the paper napkin.

"She kept telling me you two were friends too, but that's a load of bull." Natsume looked up with narrowed eyes only to see Shouda cross her legs at the ankles and lift up her chin haughtily. "Are you really going to let her go to the dance with some other guy she hardly knows?"

He could feel his temper flare at the visible attack from the three of them. Why did they want him to go to the dance with Polka Dots so bad? They knew as well as he did, probably better, how much he hated going to social functions like that. Ruka and Koko were plagued by the same annoyance and Shouda tailed him for months and couldn't catch even a hair of him anywhere near school dances or pep rallies. The hell he was going to start now just because he made his first female acquaintance.

Polka Dots was far more trouble than she was worth.

He could feel electricity in his veins when he looked at the three of them. "If Sakura wants to go to the fucking dance, then she can go with whoever she wants. I'm not going to interfere." His firm tone left no room for argument and the three looked on equally serious. "Look, just drop the damn subject. I'm not going to the dance."

There was a murmured assent before Koko perked up in his seat and turned his gaze back to Shouda's. "So…speaking of the dance—"

"No, Koko," she said, examining her nails.

"Why not? Has somebody already asked you?"

"Of course," Shouda said, tossing him a dark look. "But it's not like I've said yes to anybody."

"But _why not_?" Koko was persistent, sitting slightly slouched in his seat. "Are you waiting for somebody specific to ask you to the dance or are you just playing hard to get? Because I'm going to keep asking you until you tell me you're going with somebody else."

Shouda opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted when Mochu reappeared at the door of the cafeteria, panting with a crushed hotdog in his fist. "Natsume," his voice was hoarse from exertion. "You're going to want to come out here. Now."

It felt like his blood was flowing faster than normal when he bolted up from his seat and stormed into the cafeteria. His eyes scanned the room until his eyes fell on Kitsuneme who was glaring at something just beyond the doors of the cafeteria that led to the main foyer of the school. He didn't realize he was holding his breath until he stood at the doors and saw her.

Polka Dots…she was talking and smiling at a senior and a junior with that deadly smile and twinkle at the corner of her eyes.

"What the hell is going on here?" Natsume hissed at Kitsuneme without taking his eyes from the trio who seemed oblivious to their audience.

"They're asking her to the school dance," Kitsuneme whispered back quickly. "I overheard them talking earlier about wanting to ask her and sent Mochu to get you. I don't think they've asked her yet. They just approached her."

His blood was on fire and he took a step forward before Ruka said quietly, "Well at least we know Mikan's got a date for the dance, huh, Natsume?" The words made him still in his spot and he clenched his jaw and watched with the rest of them as the two boys made their move.

"So choose, Mikan-chan," one bastard said nicely with one hand in his pocket and the other hanging idly at his side. "We're best friends, but there won't be any hard feelings if you choose one of us over the other."

The other nodded. "That's right. We both like you."

She blinked big brown eyes with a light blush on her cheeks before she shook her head. "I'm really sorry, but I can't go with either of you," she said finally, an apology shining in every line of her body.

The words made him inhale sharply and he could feel Ruka's warm hand settle on his shoulder to stop him from taking a step forward.

_What was she—_

"Why not?" Both boys said in unison just decibels away from a whine. The senior straightened before he muttered smoothly, "Somebody's already snagged you, huh?" He nudged his friend in the arm. "I told you we shouldn't have waited until now to ask."

The other gave a half-hearted shrug before he smiled a wholesome, genuine smile. "I thought…" He laughed before he pocketed his hands and grinned. "Well I'm not surprised somebody smartened up and asked you first, Mikan-chan. You're a really nice girl."

"And fucking cute too."

Polka Dots looked lost and the expression almost made him laugh if he wasn't so confused. "Uhm…thank you," she said faintly. She blinked again before recovering herself and smiled widely. "Thank you for asking me. I'm sorry! I'm sure you guys will find somebody really special to go with!"

The both of them laughed before swinging their arms around her to give her a one-armed hug each. "Well have fun at the dance, Mikan-chan. Whoever you're going with is a lucky bastard." Polka grinned and waved after as the both of them turned to leave.

Before Natsume could so much as move, a blur of green brushed past him and Shouda's loud voice snarled, "You did _not _tell me you already had a date to the dance!"

Polka Dots whipped her head around in surprise and caught his gaze. He warmed when she sent him a grin and a wave in greeting. Ruka prodded him forward and he slowly made his way over with his blood simmering in his veins. He nodded at her smile and breathed out the breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Well?" Shouda asked authoritatively. "You told those boys you couldn't go with them so spit it out. Why not? Going with a senior would have been _so _hot and the junior was pretty cute too!"

He watched as Polka shuffled her feet before avoiding his gaze. "I couldn't go with them because I've already decided to go with somebody else."

Shouda tossed him a dark look from over her shoulder. Then she turned back to Polka and placed her hands on her hips dangerously. "You _decided _you were going to go with somebody else? Who!"

She didn't pause or hesitate.

The blow was swift.

"Iincho, of course!" Polka said as if it was obvious. "He asked me first."

-;-

The Wire was a casual restaurant that felt much more like a café and they went there at least twice a week.

It used to be slow-paced when he, Ruka and Koko started going in middle school, but over the years, it gained some kind of appeal. Girls started pouring in and boys followed soon after. Ruka had wanted to choose some other place to hang out after their table was constantly taken, but Natsume had refused to let it go and the owner had graciously agreed to reserve their table on Monday and Wednesday nights.

Natsume thanked Kami it was Monday night. The smell of coffee and grease made his muscles relax just the slightest as Koko led the way into the restaurant. Koko whistled at the full house. "Thank jeebus we've got connections. I'd have to chew my own arm off if I had to wait for this place to clear."

Natsume looked around idly until a flash of green caught his eye. Offhandedly, he pointed it out and Koko promptly locked his gaze on the girl and made a beeline toward her table. It was no mystery. Shouda only started coming to The Wire when she still had her club but she stayed for habit's sake.

Natsume sat down at his table and waited for Ruka.

"What will it take for you to go with me to the dance?" Koko asked loudly for the nth time.

The dance. It was a social function he never gave a thought of going to before and the hype about it was giving him a migraine. Polka was going to the dance with the class prez. He couldn't wrap his mind around it until lunch ended ten minutes after she dropped the bomb. Two periods and two hours later, he came to accept it. It was no business of his who she went to the dance with and he would stand by that reasoning.

He acknowledged the waves and the greetings from semi-familiar faces with a nod before Koko slumped into the seat across from him in their booth. Before Natsume could ask him what his problem was, Koko straightened and pounded the tabletop with a fist. "I'm going to the dance alone!"

"Are you telling me you're going by yourself or are you telling me to convince you to go by yourself?" Natsume said dryly as he scanned the specials menu.

"Both," Koko grinned easily, folding his arms over the table. "I can tell she wants to go with me. It's obvious. I can practically read it all over her face," he said slowly, drumming his fingers erratically on the tabletop. "I don't get why she's being so stubborn. It doesn't make sense."

Natsume looked at him and could feel his frustration. "Do you really expect a girl to ever make sense? She's not like us. She doesn't know what the hell she wants."

"You speak the truth, my red-eyed friend," Koko declared loudly, stabbing the menu with a finger. "I'm ordering a steak tonight!"

Natsume watched him sympathetically. "That bad, huh?"

"What's bad?"

The female voice at the end of the booth made the both of them look up and it took him a second to realize it was Polka standing there by herself. He looked past her but saw no one else. "Where's Ruka?" he asked finally. "He said he was going to pick you up after you got lost finding this place."

She scowled at his choice of words before she looked back at the entrance with a grin. "Ruka got into an argument with Hotaru about something when I went to my room to grab my wallet. When I came back down, they were shouting at each other." She shrugged as if it was natural but Natsume found it hard to believe. Ruka wasn't an argumentative kind of person. "Anyway," Polka continued, "I sat up at the front with Ruka and Hotaru sat in the back…I thought it was weird when Ruka opened the door for her. By the time we got here, Hotaru tried to open her door and I just heard Ruka _laughing_ when he told her he put the child locks on both back doors." She took a seat beside him and finished, "They kept arguing, so I left them alone."

"Well she must have done something low to make Ruka do that," Natsume said gruffly, ignoring how close she was sitting to him.

"Yeah… Ruka's not the type to pick or finish a fight unless it has something to do with us," Koko piped in thoughtfully, leaning his chin onto his palm. "Are you sure you got into the right car? You might have left your best friend with some random, stalker pedo."

"Thank you, Koko," Ruka called dryly, reaching over to hit him on the side of the head. "It's nice to know you think I'm a stalker pedo."

"Now see?" A new smooth, monotonous voice spoke from behind him. "That makes a lot of sense. First, you gawked shamelessly when I walked by and then you tried to lock me in your car when I didn't return your advances. That's the makings of a stalker if I've ever seen one."

"Your advances, huh?" Mikan grinned toothily. "You've got a crush on Hotaru? I knew you'd like her! She's great!"

"I do _not _have a crush on her," Ruka said hastily, eyes wide and a light blush lighting up across the bridge of his nose. He flopped down into the seat beside Koko and buried his face in his hands. "You said she was nice but she's a demon! The first words out of her mouth were: _I really can't tell if you're a boy or a girl._" Koko snickered at that but Ruka wasn't done. "Who _says _things like that to people they don't even know?"

"Honest people," the girl quipped easily, taking the only vacant seat next to Mikan. "I can't be condemned for speaking my mind. Furthermore, you shouldn't be one to talk. What kind of person locks some innocent girl in their car the minute they first meet?"

"I-Innocent?" Ruka burst out incredulously.

"I think I agree with her, Ruka," Koko said mildly. "This wouldn't be the first time you were mistaken for a girl. Don't forget…you were cast as the female lead of the play in middle school and you _agreed _to it. _That's _what I find weird about the whole thing."

"Really?" Mikan's eyes lit up. "Who'd you play?"

"Snow White," Natsume responded with a smirk in Ruka's direction. "The girls thought you looked pretty," he continued ruthlessly.

"So did the guys," Koko added dryly.

By this time, Ruka was flushed red and he glared at the girl sitting across from him. She stared at him with velvet eyes alight. "I'm intrigued," she said smoothly, clasping her hands together on the tabletop coupled with a cold smirk on her lips. She turned to Koko and asked bluntly, "Do you have pictures of Nogi playing Snow White?"

"Of course," Koko grinned. "I can do you one better; Ruka's mom is always willing to share his moments of glory." He turned to look at Mikan with an imploring stare. "We should all go to Ruka's during the Christmas break. I think it's about time you met Ruka's mom. She's the best."

Natsume felt a slight pain in his chest at that, but he hid it well.

"Well Hotaru's only staying for a week and a half," Mikan said with a small pout on her face. "She's got to fly home early on Christmas Eve to make it for Christmas dinner and stuff with her family. Maybe we can go to Ruka's this Saturday? Is that okay?" She looked over to Ruka with ill-concealed excitement and expectation. Natsume could see Ruka's mind going blank at her big brown eyes.

"Uh…sure?"

"Cool!" She grinned, turning to smile at her best friend. "Oh! Hotaru, this is Kokoro Yome—"

"Call me Koko!"

"—and this is Natsume Hyuuga," she said, leaning back so that he could see the raven-haired girl. She was a slight girl with glossy, dark black hair trimmed in a short pixie cut that looked shorter than his hair. She sat prim and proper without a hair out of place. Much like her best friend, she had large eyes violet in colour, but almost reflective without emotion, and pale, pale skin.

She looked like she was analyzing him within an inch of his life.

Mikan turned to him with a grin. "Natsume, Koko…this is my best friend since forever, Hotaru Imai!"

He grunted and Koko chirped out a greeting.

Imai merely looked back at Mikan. "Do you have to make that nauseating declaration every time you introduce me to someone?" Imai muttered with a frown. Mikan merely laughed and bumped their shoulders together affectionately. Without much acknowledgement, Imai grabbed the menu and scanned it before she said crisply, "You're buying, aren't you, Nogi? In that case I'll order the chicken filet burger combo with another side of fries, a blueberry muffin and a bottle of spring water."

Ruka banged his head against the table with a groan.

* * *

><p><em>ALL OF MY FILES AND PROGRAMS WERE DELETED BECAUSE OF SOME TROJAN WEIRD ASS SHIT. FML. But I had this chapter uploaded and almost done so here it is. Bah!<br>_

_A couple of you didn't like the fact that I used the cliché of girls giving Mikan a hard time, but at the beginning I said I was going to use a lot of parallels from the Gakuen Alice manga which is why you've got lots of people disliking Mikan because she's new. There was also some concern about the lack of description about people like Mikan and places, but you must remember this story is in Natsume's perspective. Though I do picture him as a conscientious person, I don't see him as the type to care much for what pants Mikan is wearing today or to make some kind of poetic analogy to how her eyes and hair look._

_You guys had a lot of great suggestions and I've taken them into account and tweaked my chapter outlines slightly to apply them. I'm really pleased with the response (: Don't be nervous that I'll suddenly collapse in tears because you have comments and suggestions. It means you're paying attention and I love it!_

**Chocolateoverdose**:_ If you like that kind of Mikan, I've got another chaptered story in the outline process that you might like. _:D Alert me!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters and some aspects of the plot belong to Tachibana Higuchi. The rest of the story is mine.

**Author's Note: **Quick update! Happy reading! :D**  
><strong>

-;-

_Falling for her was the easiest thing he'd ever done.  
><em>

_-;-_

_-;-_

**Chapter Seven  
><strong>

A true friend is one who thinks you are a good egg even if you are half-cracked.  
>- <em>Author Unknown<em>  
><em><em><br>**  
><strong>__

-;-

Aoi was adamant that he take Mikan to the Christmas dance despite the fact that it was clearly quite impossible when she already had a date.

Her constant whines throughout the two days following Monday night put Natsume in a foul mood by the time Thursday rolled around the corner. At the back of his mind, he was glad the other students at school had the sense to forge a path for him to avoid making his mood worse.

He was notorious for his temper, he knew. Teachers let him get away with it most of the time because he was brilliant in all of his classes. Students heard of his feats as a rebellious elementary and middle school child and knew better than to ignite the short string to his temper.

With Ruka and Koko, Natsume had tried throughout high school to keep his temper in check and to be as amiable as possible if his mind would allow it and it had worked, to an extent. Girls liked him and guys wanted to be friends with him. It was a routine he got used to after some time. All of that was pushed to the back of his mind when he snarled at the slightest provocation, glared at the faintest hint of happiness and stormed out on a handful of separate occasions including dinner the other night at The Wire when yet another sophomore girl came up to him and asked him to go to the dance in front of Polka Dots.

They should _all _know better.

He didn't go to dances.

It really wasn't that hard a concept to understand.

"Kicked a baby recently?" Mikan fell in step beside him with her bag hanging off one shoulder and her hair in a messy up-do. He grunted. She peered up at him cautiously and frowned, "You're not going to yell at me, are you?"

He sighed. "What are you talking about, Polka Dots?"

She crossed her arms defensively and was jostled slightly by a boy heading in the opposite direction. Could these people open their fucking eyes and watch where they were going? Natsume sighed and tugged her closer to his side by the elbow and glared easily to forge a path through the hallways. She looked up at him quickly with slightly pinking cheeks before she answered smoothly, "You've been acting like a boar for the past few days. Everybody is afraid you're going to bite their heads off if they accidentally step in your path and you told some girl to 'move it' and she practically ran right into a wall because she was so scared!"

Natsume didn't know why any of that mattered. "Good," he muttered smugly, throwing his locker door open with a twist of the lock. "Maybe if everyone's afraid, they'll leave me the fuck alone."

He thought that would shut her up, but if anything, Mikan became even more worked up. "Why are you being so anti-social? Tomorrow is the last day of school before Christmas break and you've made it through today. Why can't you just be happy? It's almost Christmas! I don't understand why you're suddenly acting like your heart has shrivelled up and died!"

"Suddenly?" He tossed his binder in his locker and grabbed his jacket with a harsh tug. "You don't have the right to say things like that. You don't even fucking know _anything_. I met you three weeks ago, Polka Dots," he dragged his jacket over his shoulders and glared at her coolly. "You don't know how I usually am. Anti-social? That's me in a nutshell. I'm not like Ruka or Koko…I don't do team sports and I'm not the class clown. I like being _by myself_ so do me a favour and stop trying to understand. We'll both just end up disappointed."

He slammed his locker door shut and started for the exit, leaving her to look at him like a gawking fish.

He didn't hear her footsteps coming after him as the door to the school slammed shut. Half of him was relieved that he wouldn't have to deal with her talking his ear off. The other half of him was disappointed she gave up so quickly.

He walked straight to his car and waited for Aoi to come out, but this time, he hoped he wouldn't see Polka Dots coming this way. It was Thursday and he knew she worked. Three weeks ago on the dot, he had met Mikan Sakura. He knew she worked Thursdays as a result. After all, she was late for work the day they met. He supposed he could have been blamed for that too.

The words he said to her rewound and played again in his head. The grip he had on his keys made his knuckles turn white. He knew she talked a lot and he knew she was nosy, but she didn't deserve the brunt of his anger. She didn't do anything. Never once did she ask him if he was going to the dance. Never once did she ask the whys and the whats. He didn't have a reason for going off on her like that.

That still didn't explain why he was unseasonably pissed off whenever he saw her face behind his eyelids.

His phone gave a jerk in his pocket and he answered the call with a gruff, "What?"

"_Natsume-nii, I've got a ride with Hana today so you can go on home without me! Tell daddy for me, ok?"_

The irritation in his veins increased before he sighed patiently. At the corner of his eyes, he saw Mikan walking home with a boy just barely taller than she was. He scoffed and turned away. "If you're coming home late, you've got to tell dad yourself, kid. You know he worries and I'm not going to make up any excuses for you."

She giggled at the other end of the line. _"Yeah, yeah. Understood! Thanks, brother!"_

"Whatever." He snapped his phone shut before he made his way to the driver's side of the car and his hand paused on the handle so that his eyes could search for the annoying brunette. She hadn't made it very far. In fact, she was walking incredibly slowly. He could only see her head bobbing slightly because other cars were obstructing his view but she looked to be taking her sweet time. Was she trying to piss him off? He shook his head and yanked the door open.

It wasn't until he started up the car that Mikan came into view from behind the cars with the bastard walking with her. He could feel the heat still thrumming on his skin but his ire waned into an incredulous sickness when he saw the blood on her knees.

He was out of the car in the next second and in front of her a second later.

The sophomore boy looked surprised to see him but Mikan showed no signs of it. She was looking away from his eyes and out at the soccer field. "I'm fine," she said curtly, before he could force out a word, and walked past him down the sidewalk. "Just go home. That's what anti-socials do."

He ignored her jeer, ignored the boy and blocked her path with a scowl. "You're bleeding." Her knees were scraped, the skin pink and raw on one and torn and bleeding on the other. He snatched her hands up and breathed out a tight breath when he saw identical red cuts on her palms. "What the hell did you do?" He hissed darkly. "I saw you less than fifteen minutes ago!"

Her eyes met his, then, cold and hard brown eyes he never pegged her for. "I tripped," she said blandly, tugging her hands away from him. "Now if you'll excuse me." She grabbed her book bag from the sophomore with a thankful smile before shooting him a pointed look, "—I've got to go to work. I don't want to be late again."

She started away but Natsume caught her by the elbow, almost immediately letting go when she winced. He grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm slightly to glimpse dark red lines on her forearms similar to the ones on her palms. He hissed out another breath, "You've got to be fucking kidding me. You're not going to work like this. You've got to treat these." He shot the gawking sophomore a dark glare. "Get lost. You're not needed anymore."

"Natsume!" Mikan hit him with her open palm, wincing a second later.

The sophomore shuffled his feet before he looked at Mikan worriedly, "Are you going to be okay with him, Sakura-san? I don't have club activities today. I can walk you if Hyuuga-san is bugging you."

_Bugging her?_

Natsume shot the kid an incredulous glare but he merely straightened his back defiantly. Natsume caught the tremble in his arms.

Mikan shot him a grateful smile before shaking her head. "Natsume wouldn't hurt a fly. We're fine. Thank you, Hoshino-kun." She waved as the boy turned on his heels and walked back toward the school with a smile. Natsume caught another glimpse of her torn knee before he tugged her book bag off her shoulder none too gently and began to steer her by the waist to his car. The door was still thrown open.

She wiggled out of his grasp and looked like she wanted to put her hands on her hips if the palms weren't raw and skinned. "I have to go to work, Natsume," she said firmly, holding her hand out for her bag. "If you want to help, you can drive me there."

"Don't be stubborn," he growled, leaving her standing in the middle of the student parking lot with a firm set to her lips. He tossed her bag into the back of his car before he looked back at the girl who didn't move an inch from her previous position. Instead, she had her arms crossed over her chest. If she was trying to look serious, it wasn't working. The folded arms over her chest merely displayed just how wretched she looked with pink and red kneecaps and the harsh pink lines on her forearms.

From over the driver's door, he hissed dangerously, "Get your ass in this car right the fuck now or I'm going to pick you up and throw you in. Either way, you're going to have your ass planted on that seat in five minutes."

"Do you really think foul language is going to persuade me to do what you want?" Mikan said coolly with her feet still planted on the ground. "Do you really think I'm going to bow down to peer pressure because you're threatening me with violence? In your words, Natsume, fuck no."

He blinked at her incredulously. The curse words did not belong in her mouth…it sounded out of place and completely unnatural. She seemed to think so too, because her cheeks adopted a light blush and she squared her jaw stubbornly.

Natsume sighed and walked toward her and she seemed to wince the closer he came. "I'm not going to hurt you," he muttered resignedly, stuffing his hands in his pockets to prove his point. "Just get in the car, Polka Dots. Have you even thought this shit through? Your hands are skinned alive and your knees look even worse. Do you really think your boss is going to let you scare off his clients when you look like you've just been run over by a car?" He ran a hand through his hair as he watched her look down to her feet, her lower lip wobbling like she was going to cry. It made his stomach drop. "Look, give me the number to Thai Your Shoes. I'll make the call, you can tell them what happened and they'll give you the day off. There's no way you can serve and clean like you usually do when your hands are like that."

"I already booked tomorrow off for the dance," she said weakly, looking away from his gaze. "I don't want to let my boss down. I don't want to make excuses. He's counting on me and he was nice enough to give me a job when I didn't have experience anywhere else—"

"Do you think any of that matters?" His fury was still at a high simmer. "Fine. If you want to be stubborn, then I'll drive you to your work and wait for you to get kicked out by your boss if that makes you feel better. No sane person would allow you to work when you're looking like _that_."

She flashed him a glare at the condescending statement before she nodded and took a step forward.

"Don't _move,_" Natsume hissed and came to her side, ignoring the surprise in the brunette's eyes.

When he moved to gather her tiny form into his arms, she stepped away with a squeak and a dark blush over her cheeks. "Wh-what are you _doing_? I can walk just fine!" She turned quickly and half-jogged toward his car.

Natsume fought the urge to run a hand down his face with annoyance.

The girl was so much more trouble than she was worth.

-;-

As expected, her boss took one look at her and sent her home with a firm 'if you don't think you can work, call me so that I can find a substitute, ok?'

She ducked into the car with a pout on her face and when he opened his mouth, she glared at him sharply. "_Don't _you dare say it." At his frown, she waved her hand in the air dismissively. "I thought you were going to say 'I told you so'."

Natsume rolled his eyes. "I'm not that immature. We're going to my house. My dad should be home and he can help clean out your cuts." At her questioning stare, Natsume turned a corner and sighed, "He used to do them for me all the time when I got in trouble."

Mikan scoffed and then grinned. "I'm not surprised. You look like a troublemaker."

He ignored her and turned into his driveway before cutting the engine and unbuckling his seat belt. He turned in time to see her wistful smile. "What's wrong with you?" he asked cautiously, blinking when her grin brightened.

"Your house is beautiful," she said simply, honestly, as she turned back to gaze at it. "My house looked like yours."

_My house looked like yours._

Somehow, the sentence sounded so sad in his ears.

"My dad's not home," he said quickly, getting out of the car with his keys in his hands. Before she could ask, he finished smoothly, "His car isn't in the driveway. He probably went to pick some stuff up for dinner." She opened her door before he could get to it, so he watched as she gingerly unfolded herself from the seat and closed the door behind her. "He'll probably be home soon," he said as an afterthought.

"I have first-aid stuff at my place," she said quickly, bouncing on the balls of her feet nervously as he opened the door. "Hotaru's probably all alone at home anyway so she can help me clean out m—"

"Don't be stupid," Natsume pinned her down with a patronizing stare. "You've waited long enough and who knows what shit you've got festering with all that blood." He smirked at her wince and watched as she sat slowly on the kitchen chair before she examined her leg. "It'll be fine. I'll be quick and drive you home right after I'm done."

He walked out of the room to grab the first-aid kit from under the bathroom sink before she could say anything else and when he came back out, she was murmuring quietly, "No wonder Natsume looked so disgusted. That's gross."

Natsume snorted quietly and watched as her head popped up in surprise. She grinned feebly when he knelt down in front of her.

"Look at that," she teased in an airy voice, brown eyes twinkling with mirth. "I've got Natsume Hyuuga down on his knees. Nobody would believe me."

"_I _wouldn't believe you," Natsume quipped easily, brushing the small bits of dirt and rock away from the cuts on her knees. He wiped the cut clean before he began disinfecting. The smell of alcohol was pungent in the air. "What the hell did you do anyway? One knee torn and bloody, the other scratched raw."

She stiffened again and he took it as a wince of pain. "I told you," she said carefully, "I tripped."

"Right," he said offhandedly, slowly bandaging the wound. "On what?"

She paused very slightly. "On linoleum floor first. Cement second."

"You fell _twice_?" He looked up with a frown. "That explains why this shit looks so nasty. You've got to be careful, Stupid. Watch where you're going. You're so weak, I'm surprised you didn't break yourself in half."

She laughed lightly before promising to be more careful. Natsume nodded and, finished with the worst knee, Natsume shifted towards the other and began the same process. It continued like that for a couple minutes more. She asked him for a cotton ball so that she could begin cleaning her palms, but he merely shushed her and continued. She would probably do this shit wrong anyway and he didn't have the patience to dress her wounds twice.

When he finished up both of her knees and her forearms, he took a look at her palms. A snort from above made him look up with an eyebrow raised only to see Mikan with a light blush on her cheeks and a small grin. "What's wrong with you?" His voice was far sharper than he meant it to be.

"This could be really romantic if you were proposing to me," she grinned widely and looked pointedly at him still on his knees with her hand in both of his.

The thought made a flush start at his neck and he rolled his eyes at her giggle. "You're such an idiot," he pointed out coolly, focusing intently on her hands. She laughed and muttered 'I know' before he finished up and stood up to look at her.

She was a pathetic little thing with bandages on both knees and along both arms and hands. She turned her arms over and admired his handiwork before she beamed up at him. "Thanks a lot, Dr. Hyuuga! These look perfect." She unfurled her fingers and tried to make a fist. "I probably look like a mummy," she noted vaguely before she looked up at him. "How did you learn how to do this?"

Natsume packed the supplies away before looking up at her once more. "I have a curious little sister," he said dryly, snapping the clasp on the box. "The idiot tends to be reckless with her life. Just like you."

"Hey!" she protested weakly.

He turned to put the kit back where he got it until he felt soft fingertips brush the back of his hand. His eyes flashed to hers and she looked at him with that ever present blush on her cheeks and a small smile. "Thank you, Natsume." His breath caught in his throat, not because of the three words she said, but the way she was looking at him. Her soft brown eyes were warm and affectionate; the small, shy smile on her lips was grateful and sweet…but it was the blush, the smooth, faint pink colour that stretched the expanse of the bones of her cheeks that made his stomach stir with warmth.

He turned away with a grunt and stowed the kit under the sink, waiting two beats to calm himself.

-;-

The first words out of Hotaru Imai's mouth when Mikan called were: _"Where are you?"_

She laughed before greeting her best friend enthusiastically, "Hi Hotaru! You're on speaker and I'm over at Natsume's house! I uhm…" She looked over hastily before a weak grin appeared on her lips. "I may have gotten into a little trouble…but it's okay because Natsume helped bandage my cuts!"

"_Cuts?" _Imai's voice was dark with promises. _"What the hell did you do? When are you coming back? Nogi is here and he's being fifty shades more annoying than you are."_ From somewhere in the background, Ruka shouted with wonder, _"I didn't know you lived in a hotel, Mikan!"_

Mikan merely shook her head. "It's a long story." She looked over to him and raised an eyebrow quizzically before addressing her best friend once more. "Natsume's going to drive me over soon. I was thinking I could pick up some food. Are you guys hungry? Ruka, are you planning on staying over?"

"_I wouldn't mind," _Ruka's voice was still muffled in the background. _"Natsume, are you going to stay over at Mikan's for dinner?"_

He had a negative response at the tip of his tongue but the hopeful gleam in her eyes made the word still in his mouth. It didn't look like Aoi was coming home anytime soon and he really didn't want his father eating dinner alone. Thinking quickly, he held his hand out for the phone. She gave it to him curiously. "Why don't you drive Imai over to my place?" He offered coolly, turning away from Mikan's beaming face. "I can order pizza and you can pick it up on the way. Polka's isn't exactly the biggest place."

"_Imai's paying!" _Ruka hollered quickly, yelping after a muffled thump.

"_The hell, I'm paying. Society dictates you should pay for the meal," _Imai said crisply. _"Oh don't frown, Princess. You knew this was coming."_

"_The hell, Imai! I paid last time! And society only says that if I'm taking you out on a date!"_

"_Well you are," _Imai's voice was amused and he shared a curious look with Mikan at that. _"You _did _ask me to the dance."_

"What?" Mikan squealed suddenly, grabbing and holding the phone to her ear even though it was still on speaker. "Ruka, you're taking Hotaru to the dance? That's perfect! I was going to ask Natsume to take her but this just works even better. Heck yeah!"

Natsume looked at her pointedly, unimpressed, and she merely grinned before she stuck her tongue out cheekily.

"_I was being _polite, _Imai!" _Ruka protested emphatically and Natsume could picture his best friend's blushing face. _"You said you weren't doing anything tomorrow and then asked _me _what I was doing while Mikan went to the dance and so I _jokingly _said I'd be taking you there! I didn't actually think you'd be _interested!_ I wasn't planning on going to the dance!"_

"_Why not?" _Imai said offhandedly. _"I don't see what the problem is. We're just two girls heading to the dance together. Really, Nogi. You don't have to be so sensitive. You're the most sensitive girl I've ever met. Hyuuga, Stupid, we'll be there in time for dinner. Don't order pizza. Nogi will do the honours."_

"_IMAI, I AM NOT A GIRL—"_

The line went dead and Mikan held it in front of her with wide eyes as if she never saw a phone before in her life. Then she turned to him with an equally shocked expression. "Hotaru and Ruka…? Hotaru's first boyfriend!"

The look of glee on her face made the vein in his neck twitch. "You're getting ahead of yourself," Natsume noted dryly.

"He's taking her out on a date! It's so romantic!"

"He didn't sound like he wanted to take her out on a date," Natsume pointed out slowly. "Besides, just because two people go on one date together, doesn't mean they're actually together." He paused slightly as a thought occurred to him. "Are you and Iincho dating now? He's taking you to the dance after all."

"Eh? Oh no, we're just going as friends!" She paused before her eyes narrowed. "Oh _I _see what you did there!"

The edge of ire in her voice made him hide a smirk and instead he went over to the living room couch and sat down. She pulled up the kitchen chair and sat on the other side of the coffee table. There was a long pause, easy and comfortable, before she murmured, "I'm not ready for that."

She propped her knees up on the chair and settled her chin on her knees. "Hotaru tells me all the time how much trouble boys and stuff are. It's just easier to be friends, right?" She wrapped her arms around her knees and shrugged awkwardly. "I think people think I'm weird. They act weird, anyway, whenever they find out I lost both my parents…they act really careful. But I don't need them to be careful! I'm completely fine!"

She looked up at him, then, carefully. "You treated me like that too."

The statement surprised him. "Like what?"

She bit the inside of her cheek. "Just…differently. You looked at me different when you came over to tutor me. You felt sorry for me. I could see it all over your face. I don't need that, Natsume. I don't need you to pity me or take care of me. I just need you to be my friend."

She looked down to her knees, avoiding his gaze and he couldn't stop the blunt words. "You act." She jerked in surprise. "Not always, but everyone can tell when you're faking your smiles. That's why I was looking at you differently…because it's ridiculous how terrible your facades are."

"I don't_—_"

He stared at her unmoving and she snapped her lips shut. "You say you don't need anyone to take care of you, but you walk around recklessly tripping on your face until you're bloody and raw_—_"

"That was once!"

"_—_you're defenseless and always roaming Tokyo by yourself_—_"

"I have to work!"

"_—_and you're naive enough to leave all of your defenses down."

"This is…can't you just…" Her indignation slipped and her eyes dropped with resignation when she sighed. "I don't like fighting with you, Natsume, and it seems like that's all we've been doing today. Can't we just agree to disagree?"

"Fuck that," he scowled.

"Fine!" She dropped her legs and folded her arms across her chest. Her eyes narrowed darkly. "Okay, I get that you're worried about me being an idiot, but stop making it seem like it's your responsibility if I mess up! I'm grateful with your help with these bandages, but I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself! I've been doing just fine taking care of myself. Stop acting like my parent and just be my friend."

He could feel his heart slamming in his chest with his anger and just looking at her all bandaged up didn't make matters any better. She was an idiot if she thought he was going to let this go. He understood she lost her parents at a young age but did she really have such a warped idea of friendship?

He clenched his fists on his knees and glared at her. "What kind of friends have _you _had? Friends are allowed to care, stupid. They're supposed to tell you things you don't want to hear and_—_" The sound of a car door slamming shut broke him out of his tirade. He swore under his breath. What kind of poetic shit was he spouting? He ran a hand down his face and exhaled sharply. "Never mind. Do what you want. I really don't care."

The doorbell went off and he pushed off the couch without looking at her and went to answer the door.

"You're a good friend, Natsume." Before he left the room entirely, he could have sworn she said softly, "Thank you."

* * *

><p><em>Natsume doesn't know she tried to chase after him and fell by the exit therefore skinning her knees and arms <em>on the school's floors<em> before hitting the door and scratching her knee on the pavement. _D: _It's happened to me but I wasn't chasing a boy. Not cool. Seriously.  
><em>

_Two or three more chapters left. _:S _Files are still lost. Documents are weird. I had to type this in a FFNdoc! OMFG, WEIRD, YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW. Okay, out she goes.  
><em>


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters and some aspects of the plot belong to Tachibana Higuchi. The rest of the story is mine.

**Author's Note: **I am _definitely _finishing this within the month. Happy reading! :D**  
><strong>

-;-

_Falling for her was the easiest thing he'd ever done.  
><em>

_-;-_

_-;-_

**Chapter Eight  
><strong>

There are big ships and small ships. But the best ship of all is friendship.  
>- <em>Author Unknown<em>  
><em><em><strong><br>**__

-;-

They were all going to the dance.

Everybody except him.

He didn't think Ruka was serious about going with Imai, but when asked, Ruka merely rolled his eyes and blushed. He hadn't been planning on it until she mentioned the Snow White photos and under duress, he conceded. Secretly, Natsume thought Ruka was intrigued by the blackmailer. She was unlike any girl the both of them had ever met and she definitely gave his best friend a run for his money. Literally.

He gazed out the window of his bedroom for a second before he dropped his legs from his desk and spun his computer chair around to look at his closet. The suit he wore for Aoi's piano recital a few months ago hung from his closet door and he glared at it with contempt he didn't know he had in him.

It was taunting him, daring him, just like everyone else.

Ruka had frowned and said, "Even _I'm _going to the dance. With _Imai _no less. You have to go, Natsume. I need at least _one _sane person at the dance to get me through the night." He'd paused and waited for an agreement, but when he didn't get one, Ruka had continued, "Besides, you owe me for going to Aoi's recital this year. You know how I feel about that massive crush she has on me. Speaking of that recital, you can wear that suit again."

Natsume had merely flipped him the bird.

Koko hadn't exactly taunted him into going to the dance, but his obnoxious declaration over the school intercom during the lunch hour made _everyone _want to go to the dance, if only to see the outcome.

There had been an ear-splitting two seconds of feedback over the PA before muffled voices of secretaries had cried, "Koko, stop! Get down from there!"

And then _his _voice appeared, as cheerful and unapologetic as always: "Hello everyone! I trust your lunch hour is going _superbly_! I will keep this message short, because there are four beautiful secretaries vying for my attention—yes, ma'am, I do think you look beautiful today and everyday." There was a beat of muffled sounds before he called, "Sumire Shouda!" There was a pause as a muffled thump sounded over the intercom.

He was speaking normally as if he wasn't disrupting the lunch period. "Sumire Shouda, if you're listening—which I know you are—then I'm asking you right now in front of the whole school: go to the school dance with me! I've asked you more times than I can count on my fingers and toes and I'll probably ask you every time I see you from now until 7pm tonight. Go to the dance with me. I have flowers with your name on it (I'm planning to give them to you whether or not you go with me tonight) and I have a driver and contrary to what you think, I am _very _sure about this. So uhm…text me! Ma'am, ow! Geez! I need a few more seconds—ow! Permy, will you just go to the dance with me already? Ow! All right, all right."

"You are in _so _much trouble, Mr. Yome!" was the shrill voice of the old secretary before there was another muffled thump and the intercom went silent. The whole cafeteria erupted in applause and laughter and when Natsume looked over to Shouda, she was running a hand through her hair with a faint blush on her cheeks and a small grin on her face.

Mochu and Kitsuneme took turns asking him if he changed his mind.

Shouda urged him to go and at least dance _one _dance with Mikan.

Every other girl was still trying to get him to go to the dance and even his father hinted at it. Well, if the cauliflower infested dinner was anything to go by. Aoi probably told him all about the dance and everybody's insistence that he go. Unlike everybody else, though, his father had opted to prompt him by cooking a dinner he would hate.

He probably would have gone if Mikan asked him to go.

It was inexplicable. He didn't care who she went with as long as she wanted him there. Was that strange?

He glanced down at his watch. It was 7:43pm. The dance had been in full-swing for forty-three minutes.

"Natsume?" His father stuck his head past the door. At his grunt, Dad came into his room and looked at his closet in amusement. He didn't comment on it, though, thankfully. Instead he ambled into his room with a faux-indifferent gleam in his eyes. He smiled. "What do you say to a good ol' game of Monopoly with your old man? It's not like you're doing anything special on the last day before your break."

Natsume glared daggers. "I know what you're doing. You can stop taunting me about it. It's already started. I'm not going."

From behind his back, Dad produced the board game and grinned. "I'm being serious, Natsume. If you're not going to that dance, we're going to play a _long _game of Monopoly. I've never played with just two people, but I'm sure I could drag it out."

Natsume looked at him closely before he settled on his bed and waited expectantly for his father to start setting up the game. With an incredulous exhale, Dad unfolded the board game with a shake of his head and tossed him the train before he chose his player, the dog. "You're stubborn just like your mother," Dad laughed with warm black eyes. "She would never admit to wanting to go, even if she did."

Natsume almost preened at the compliment.

"Dances are lame. Why would I want to go to a school dance with two hundred and fifty other people I don't know when I don't like dancing?" He rolled the die and moved his piece up until he landed on the railroad.

"Because your friends are going," his father said simply. "Friends can make even a dance fun."

"I'm not going to dance with Koko," Natsume said dryly, sending him a disbelieving look. "Besides, if we wanted to have fun, we'd just hang out at The Wire or something. Ruka doesn't like dances just as much as me and normally Koko wouldn't give a shit."

"Language, Natsume," Dad said offhandedly. "But from what Aoi's told me, both of them are going. Even Ruka's found himself a date at the last minute. She's not very happy about that," he added vaguely before he blinked back at him. "What I'm trying to say is, instead of spending your last Friday night before the Christmas break with your old man playing _this _terrible boardgame, spend it with your friends. It's the last day of school. You don't want to spend it with me."

Natsume looked at him slowly. "I like spending time with you."

At this, Dad beamed. "You've got all Christmas break to be hounded with family activities. Spend this one with your friends. You may not want to go to the dance because you don't like dancing, but that doesn't mean you _can't _dance. All you have to do is sway left and right. It's not that hard. Besides, isn't it worth it if there's a special girl waiting there for you?"

He scowled and rolled the die, landing on the blue question mark. "She's not waiting for me. She's got a date."

"You're her friend, aren't you?" Dad said simply. "It's not illegal to ask your friend for one dance. She's going with the class president—" When Natsume looked up at him sharply, Dad sent him a look that explained with one word: _Aoi_. "—If I remember him from that Parent's Day last year, he wouldn't mind in the least. In fact, he probably couldn't refuse _any _guy the request to dance with Mikan-chan."

"Yeah well I've made it perfectly clear I don't go to dances," Natsume said with finality. "So I'm not going to go. The dance is halfway over anyway."

"You'll make it with plenty of time to dance at least four times with her. Don't you want to?" Dad looked at him intently. "You know, your mom would probably throw you out of the house by force if she knew you liked a girl but your pride got in the way."

Natsume swallowed tightly when an image of his mother flashed behind his eyes. "She's just my friend."

"Then it's no big deal, is it? Besides, Natsume, one dance isn't going to kill you."

"I don't want to take the chance."

Dad snorted and pointed at the Chance card pile he had yet to pick. "I just don't want you to regret it. It may just be a dance, but do you want to wonder for the rest of your life about the _what ifs_? It's a terrible feeling. Besides, Mikan seems like a very nice girl. You may not see the point in going to a dance with two hundred and fifty people you don't know, but that _one_ special person makes it worth it, don't you think?"

Natsume slipped one of the Chance cards from the pile and twirled it around his fingers. "I don't know…"

Dad looked at him carefully. "You don't have to be certain about anything besides the fact that you want to be there for her. She's going to have a good night tonight, but she'll have a great night if you're there. Aren't you her best friend?"

_"You're a good friend, Natsume."_

Natsume snorted distractedly. "Hardly. Her best friend is with her right now flown all the way from China. She doesn't need me there."

"She probably doesn't _need _you there, but she wants you there," Dad said carefully. "You're her closest friend at Alice Academy."

Natsume sent him an unimpressed, dry look. "You've really got to stop gossiping about me to Aoi. It's getting creepy how much you know."

Dad laughed. "I like knowing about your friends. You're not one to do much sharing," Dad said wryly, grinning before he took the Chance card from his hand. "Besides, it's not everyday a girl's caught your attention. Your mom would be ecstatic." He flipped the card over to show the _Get out of jail free _card and then grinned. "Get a move on, kid. You have an hour to get that suit on and drive over to your girl."

"She's not my girl," he grunted, getting off of his bed and heading over to his closet. "You people really have to get that through your skulls."

His father laughed. "_We _don't need to. I've been calling Mikan your special person for the past hour and you haven't bothered to correct me." He sent his father a dark look but the old man merely grinned. "Think about it," he gathered the board game into its box and stood. "Have fun, son."

When he left, Natsume tugged his T-shirt off his chest and paused thoughtfully.

_Special person, huh?_

_-;-_

This was so fucking degrading.

He pulled at his tie until it was a little looser around his neck and cursed his father for practically choking him with the damn thing. It was just a stupid school dance being held in the main auditorium of the school and yet the whole school was going completely insane over it. He heard about themed dances but did they really expect everybody to wear suits and dresses for a three hour social function that held no real worth?

There was forty minutes left to the dance, his watch told him.

With a sigh, he entered the foyer, deposited his fare and tried not to cringe away at the high-pitched cries of the girls that had just caught sight of him.

"OH MY GOSH, IT'S NATSUME-KUN!"

There was a series of accompanying squeaks as he strolled toward the auditorium where the lights were somewhat dimmed and a pounding beat vibrated from the walls to the soles of his feet and up into his chest.

Vaguely, he heard another shrill voice. "He came alone. I can't believe it! He came alone! That means he's up for grabs!"

The hell he was.

The lights were so dim, he couldn't make out many faces and since he didn't want to go near _any _of those mismatched bodies, he opted to sit on the chairs by the punch tables. How did it come to this? He had a scenario in his head that was far easier than what it actually was. He'd assumed it would merely take him walking into the doors for Mikan or Ruka to see him and the rest would be history.

Another song passed before he noticed the cluster of girls standing in the corner pointing and giggling in his direction. They started hiding behind each other when he glanced over. Natsume fought the urge to run a hand down his face.

"Hyuuga."

He looked up into the eyes of Hotaru Imai and he didn't think he would be so relieved. "Imai," he nodded. "Where's Ruka?"

"You're supposed to ask where Mikan is," she said dryly, settling down in the chair beside him. "Nogi had to use the little girl's room."

He snorted at the last statement and slouched to put his elbows on his knees.

"You dressed her wounds." It was a statement, not a question, so Natsume didn't respond. Instead he let his eyes drift from Imai's to scan over the room at large. "She wondered why you didn't want to go today. Nobody thought you would come and yet, here you are."

"Here I am," his voice was sardonic. "If she wanted to know why, she should have asked me."

"She didn't want you to get mad at her," Imai said simply. "She figured making you go with me would have done the job, but couldn't exactly do much when Nogi asked me first." She paused for a long moment as a group of people came up to grab some drinks, but when they left, she continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. "She talks about you a lot."

"People tend to do that." It would have sounded cocky to anybody else, but for some reason, Natsume thought Imai would understand.

"People do," Imai said evenly. "You're quite the topic at the dance. For girls, anyway. Mikan isn't like most people. She doesn't have high hopes for many, but she has high hopes for you."

Natsume swallowed tightly before he turned to look at the stoic girl. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"How did Mikan's father die?" Imai asked bluntly.

"Cancer," he said immediately, narrowing his eyes with suspicion. "Diagnosed before she was born and died when she was two. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Her mother?" Imai cut him off.

"Car crash when she was eleven," Natsume said slowly, the memory of her sad face in his mind. "The car exploded and her mother crawled over her and got the brunt of the explosion."

"Her grandfather?"

"Old age… three months ago."

"Her siblings?"

"She doesn't have any siblings," Natsume frowned.

"Her friends?"

"I haven't heard about anybody but you."

"Why are you here?" Imai asked softly.

He didn't pause and said simply. "Because she is."

The response took him by surprise but the sheer honesty was not lost on either of them. Natsume turned away with a scowl and waited for the taunting to begin. Instead, Imai surprised him and merely said evenly, "Here comes my date. Don't wait too long. Mikan has a lot of patience but with your pride, who knows." At the frown on his face, she arched an eyebrow. "I could see it all over your face the first time we met. You're that easy to read, Hyuuga."

"You made it," Ruka grinned widely. "About time. Imai's been driving me crazy."

Imai scoffed at that. "Like you weren't happy I was scaring off all of your fangirls, Nogi."

"She gave them some kind of death glare and they all stopped asking me for a dance," Ruka said with an amazed gleam in his eyes. "I'd let you dance with her so she can scare your fangirls off but I'm keeping her all to myself. She's lucky! Besides, it's not like your _fantastic _mood isn't scaring everybody off anyway," Ruka joked. "Are you looking for Mikan?"

"Hardly," Natsume scoffed which earned a rough kick from Imai. "She's with Tobita, isn't she?"

"She was," Ruka nodded slowly, "…but the last time I saw her, she was dancing with Koko. She's been dancing with a lot of people," he said thoughtfully before his eyes slid down to meet his. "I'm sure she could make room for you if you asked her, but with that huge head of yours—"

Natsume stood up and shot them both a dark look. "You two are hilarious," he said dryly. "You're made for each other." With that, he pushed himself into the crowd, ignoring the hands that came dangerously close to his ass. It was a slow song…how the hell did people manage to grope him when they should be with their dates?

It took him far longer than necessary to locate her in the arms of the sophomore from the other day. They were a respectable distance from each other but still too close for Natsume's tastes. She had her hands on his shoulders and his hands were on her waist.

Natsume's hands were clenched into fists.

Trying to be civil, he tapped the boy on the shoulder and looked pointedly at Mikan whose jaw had dropped. "I'm cutting in," he declared coolly, leaving no room for arguments. The boy watched him for a second before he smiled and gave Mikan's hand a little squeeze.

"Thanks for the dance, Mikan," he grinned widely. Then he looked at Natsume. "She's all yours."

_All mine?_

He blinked at that before Mikan looked at him curiously and put her hands on his shoulders. "Hi, Natsume," she grinned impishly, brown eyes watching him cheekily. "I can't say I'm surprised you're here."

His hands stilled on her waist and he narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?" She threw her head back and laughed and he said the first thing that came to mind. "You're wearing a dress." At her questioning stare, he shrugged. "You never wear dresses."

She grinned and looked down. "You're wearing a tuxedo." She paused for effect. "You never wear tuxedos."

"Touché."

She smiled and swayed against him. The heat of her body made him forget he was at a school dance. Was that normal? He couldn't remember ever feeling so lightweight with another girl before other than his sister, like he didn't have to impress anyone with her. But then again, she was his first girl friend. Would it always be like this? With other girls? Somehow, Natsume severely doubted that.

She was different.

From over her shoulder, Natsume could see Koko dancing with Shouda and a swarm of girls all around them, sighing. So he'd finally nabbed the girl huh? As if he heard him, Koko spun Shouda, looked over her shoulder and smirked at him…a smirk that rivaled one of his. Natsume fought off the grin.

_Bastard._

Mikan drummed a tune on the back of his neck before raising an eyebrow. "Aoi, Ruka, Koko and Hotaru said you would come without fail. Cutting it close, huh?" she teased.

"I'm here, aren't I?" he grunted.

She nodded and smiled before she murmured distractedly, "You look very pretty." He narrowed his eyes at her and she merely grinned back impishly. "It's true."

"You should speak for yourself," he grumbled and she blinked big eyes at him.

"I look like a mummy," she said dryly with a faint blush on her cheeks, looking down at her arms still wrapped up in bandages. These ones were flesh coloured and a little less noticeable. His stomach twisted just the slightest when he remembered just how terrible she looked yesterday.

He grunted and took in the dark violet of her dress that was long enough to cover her knees.

She did look pretty.

"Where's your date?" Natsume asked coolly as another song came on and she didn't let him go.

She bit her lip. "There was a commotion with a group earlier and he left to deal with it with the teachers," she shrugged her shoulders as if it didn't bother her. "Poor Iincho. He has duties even when school hours are over." She looked up at him after a thoughtful pause and, almost shyly, asked, "Is… is it okay if I keep dancing with you?"

He could feel his heart shudder in his chest at those words.

"It's fine," he murmured gruffly.

Silence fell between them as Mikan hummed to the song. Somewhere along the way, she'd stepped closer and hooked her arms around his neck. Their bodies were so close, there was only enough room to slide a tennis ball between them.

She was warm.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you yesterday," her voice was muffled against his shoulder. She pulled him closer, refusing to look him in the eyes. "I'm not…used to people caring so much or helping me. I'm not used to answering to people. It—" She bit her lip and the hand gripping him at the base of his neck tightened. "—I always thought I could take on the world by myself, especially when Hotaru left me."

"Thought?"

He could feel her grin against his shoulder. "I can still take the world on by myself," she said easily, lifting her eyes to grin at him. "I just think… maybe it would be fine to have a sidekick. You know, a wingman. You could be that wingman." She had a light glow to her cheeks. "That is…if you want to. We could be best friends, just you and me. Us against the world."

"Us against the world?" He said dubiously. "I'd probably have to do most of the work. All you can do is seduce the men and what was it? Make the intellectual world bow down to you?"

"You're not as stupid as people say," she nodded, pleased, despite the warning look in his eyes. "There may be hope for you yet. Besides, what could _you _do? You're just going to seduce the women of the world and when every man and woman is infatuated with us, we'll have total world domination. All the world's resources will be ours."

"You're a little too serious about this," he commented dryly.

"I do a lot of thinking when I'm home alone," she quipped easily, laughing softly under her breath. The song was coming to its end and in the dying seconds of the chords, she pressed his neck down and kissed him softly on the cheek. He could feel the tingle from where her lips made contact travel from his neck to his toes. She grinned up at his shocked expression. "Thanks for the dances, Natsume!"

_There is one more song left_, he wanted to say, and as if hearing his heart's voice, she extracted her arms and let them fall to her sides. "I promised Yuu the last dance."

He nodded and pocketed his hands in slight disappointment. Then a thought occurred to him and he narrowed his eyes on her surprised brown ones. "I hope you don't thank every guy that dances with you like that."

She tilted her head back and laughed. "Nope," she said easily. "Only my best friend!"

With that, she disappeared with a wave.

He breathed out a sharp breath before weaving his way back toward the punch table, ignoring the requests for the last dance. It was late and he stayed far longer than any of them anticipated. It was best he went home now before Ruka and Koko met up with him and began the taunting.

_Best friend, huh…_

Could he?

The thought was an interesting concept in its own way that would require further exploration.

What was this girl doing to him?

"So you got ditched too, huh?"

He turned to face Ruka who had a wry smile on his face. Then he nodded back toward the dancing group, only to see Imai and Mikan dancing idiotically together. The sight surprised him, not because he was expecting Mikan to dance with the class president, but because they were dancing with grins on their faces and _Mikan _was acting the part of the male with her hands on Imai's waist.

An incredulous laugh escaped him and Ruka followed with a chuckle.

"She ditched me for Imai."

"Well, no hard feelings," Ruka said with a grin, tucking his hands in his pockets as the both of them leaned against the wall. "Iincho was still taking care of business so Mikan would've been left out. Imai sort of grabbed her hand, told me I was a horrible dancer and left."

Natsume snorted. "You're a horrible dancer, huh?"

"Terrible," Ruka lied easily. "You know Imai. It's obvious she goes at her own pace_…_ She does whatever she wants." At this, Ruka turned and looked at him carefully. "So you and Mikan?"

Natsume sent him a sidelong glance. "Apparently we're best friends."

"Huh," Ruka looked back at the duo attracting much attention. "Mikan's taking my spot, is she? I should charge her for that. Being your best friend has its perks."

"You've been hanging out with Imai too much," Natsume quipped wryly. "Watch, she's going to become best friends with your mother and blackmail you for life."

Ruka groaned before he ran a hand through his hair. "That's tomorrow huh? Shit." They lapsed back to silence and merely watched the two girls. One had a dopey grin on her face, the other a nonexistent smile. "You know," Ruka said slowly, "Seeing her dancing with Mikan like this just because she didn't have a dance partner_…_ it's kinda cute."

Natsume turned to see a soft, pleased expression on his best friend's face.

He scoffed. "You're disgusting."

Ruka merely laughed.

* * *

><p><em>One more chapter. <em>:) Remember, this story is based on friendship!

**IAmTheBattleMaiden:** The _falling for her was the easiest thing he'd ever done _line isn't meant for this story. It's for the oneshot sequel I'm going to post after this story is done. :) You are going to hate me for it, btw. Guaranteed. It's a little on the sad side.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters and some aspects of the plot belong to Tachibana Higuchi. This rest of this story is mine.

**Author's Note: **Thank you to all of my readers. You guys are too good for me. Happy reading everyone! :D**  
><strong>

-;-

_Falling for her was the easiest thing he'd ever done.  
><em>

_-;-_

_-;-_

**Chapter Nine  
><strong>

Some people come into our lives and quickly go.  
>Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.<br>- _Flavia Weedn_  
><em><em><strong><br>**__

-;-

The crunch of his shoes against the sparse bits of snow on the ground sounded loud in his ears as he made his way to his mother. As he passed by Mikan's parents' tombstones, he caught a glimpse of the bright oranges and reds of her flowers. Of course she would choose obnoxious colours like _that_ to give to her parents for Christmas_, _he mused with a snort.

Respectfully, he bowed his head down toward them before continuing his way through the cemetery.

When he stood in front of her tombstone, he exhaled the breath he didn't know he was holding._  
><em>

"Merry Christmas, Mom."

He placed the bundle of flowers amidst the faint dusting of snow on her tombstone and knelt down in front of her, brushing his fingers against her name like he always did when he saw her. After a moment, he sat back on his legs and blinked at the flowers._  
><em>

"I hope you like these flowers," he said slowly, fingering the dark pink roses amongst the purple daisies, white lilacs and plum blossoms. "They're different from the ones I usually get you. Polka Dots thought you might like variety." He paused thoughtfully, "She says it's Christmas time and you'd probably like to feel the Christmas spirit here. I saw the flowers she brought for her parents. She brought _orange_ tulips among her flowers."

He chuckled lowly, clasping his hands together in his lap. "I'd like to think I have a little more taste. I got these for you. Tell me if you like them better. I've been giving you the same flowers for years." He inhaled slowly before saying, "Dad tells me I'm a lot like you. I've never liked change, so I figured you didn't like it much either…but change isn't always bad right?"

Natsume closed his eyes and thought back to her, feeling his heart swell with remembrance. "It's been twelve Christmases without you. I… we started hanging photos of you on the Christmas tree. That's another change that hasn't been so bad. She—"

He paused again and said quietly in his mind, _Mikan gave me the idea. The Christmas tree she has in her room is full of her parents and her Grandpa. You should see it. It's nice.  
><em>

"It feels like you're there with us," he continued aloud. "I think I like it much better like that. Dad likes to cook your favourites for Christmas dinners. I told you that last year and the year before, didn't I?"

_ I wish you were here._

"Sometimes I feel like I can do this without you."_ Most times I still can't believe you're gone._

He inhaled shakily. "A lot of things have happened in the last month. I can't wrap my mind around it. You're probably surprised too, huh?" He looked down at his hands and smirked. "She's a lot more trouble than she's worth. You've seen her around here, haven't you? She says she comes here once a week to visit her parents. You've probably heard her talking. She talks a lot with that obnoxious voice of hers. She wants us to be best friends. If you told me last month I'd become best friends with a girl like her, I would have laughed at you."

A soft wind burst against his neck like a gentle caress and it made a shiver speed down the length of his spine. He looked up at her tombstone. "Right now, I think I could be best friends with her. I think it would be really easy."

Gathering himself, he pressed his hands to his knees. "I know I don't really ask favours of you…I know how you feel about favours and promises, but I think you can help me with this one. It'll take some of your time, so bear with me, all right? It's not that I don't want you to look after me. I always want you to look after me," he said slowly, feeling the lump in his throat thinking about her. "But—"

_Could you…look after her too? From where you are? _

"She's a complete hazard to herself," he explained quickly. "I know her parents and her Grandpa are probably looking after her, but it just doesn't…doesn't seem like enough." He exhaled sharply before a laugh left him. "Just drop in whenever you have spare time, ok? You're probably going crazy up there, huh?" He grinned. "You're my hero."

_I miss you._

"Merry Christmas, Mom."

He stood up and trailed his fingers along the top of her stone once more and smiled.

_I love you._

-;-

The last few days were spent with either Aoi and Dad or the gang plus Imai…though Imai was quickly claiming a regular spot. She was sarcastic and blunt and always on Ruka's back. It was easy to taunt Ruka, but when Imai was at it, she took it to a whole other level.

She'd charmed his friends almost as quickly as Mikan had.

_Almost._

He thought back to yesterday morning when they all drove to Tokyo airport to see her off. Natsume didn't understand why he had to tag along. He didn't care much for the blackmailer, but Mikan was adamant and as her best friend, _you have to be there_! She wanted her two best friends to get along, she said as an explanation.

He thought it might be easier to do what she wanted rather than have to listen to her logic.

The roads were busy.

It was afternoon and people seemed to be rushing back home to make it to Christmas dinner. He drove his car along with traffic and wondered vaguely what Mikan was doing. She said Shiki was going to spend Christmas with her. Her Uncle had taken the family to Hawaii the third day of Christmas break and had visited her briefly before taking off. He wondered whether he should make sure she was okay. She didn't exactly know this Shiki person very well…

He exhaled slowly.

That was really none of his business. She could call him if she was in trouble. She seemed to be calling him for the most inconsequential reasons as of late anyway.

As the city moved by, he rested his arm against the driver's window and waited impatiently for the cars ahead of him to move forward. He didn't think the roads would be so busy. If he did, he would have opted to walk instead. It seemed far faster than the road's progress.

Suddenly, from his peripherals, he caught sight of brown and turned his head so fast, he almost got whiplash. It wasn't her, but the girl _behind _her was. She had her hair down. It was probably the first time he ever saw her with her hair down. It was long enough to hit her elbows, fluttering swiftly in the wind. Why was she walking alone? Her head was ducked down against the wind and he scowled.

She was too far away to shout to, so he called her.

He watched as she checked her phone and picked up on the first ring. _"Natsume?"_

"Why are you walking by _yourself_ in the middle of _Tokyo_ without a jacket on?" he growled angrily, watching as she whipped her head back and forth to look for him. She pressed her back against the storefront and looked like she was scaling the walls.

_"How do you _know _that?" _she breathed into the phone. _"That's so creepy, Natsume!"_

"I'm in the middle of traffic," he explained sharply.

She seemed to see him because she dropped her arms, snapped the phone shut and started running down the sidewalk. Inwardly, his stomach dropped at how fast she was running. If she wasn't careful, she was going to face plant on the sidewalk again and he really didn't want to spend his Christmas bandaging her. If he was worried then, his worry quadrupled when she started to cross the street to get over to his car.

His heart almost stopped in his chest.

"Don't you _ever _do that ever again, do you hear me?" he growled at her the moment she flopped into the passenger seat. "What were _thinking _crossing five lanes of traffic when it's so fucking busy? Don't you ever use that brain of yours? Idiot! You could've been killed!"

She was buckling her seatbelt before her hands stopped and her wide eyes flashed up to his. "I'm so sorry, Natsume," she said quickly. "I forgot that your mom—"

He turned away from her apologetic gaze and eased the gas when traffic moved forward. "Just be careful," he said sharply. "You said you wouldn't be so reckless and not even a week goes by before you're running headlong into open traffic. You're so fucking stupid sometimes."

Her voice was quiet with apology. "I was really excited to see you."

It was six words, but they made a sharp heat start at the back of his neck. "Doesn't matter," he grumbled darkly. "You could have waited until I brought the car around before you ran over here. Why are you by yourself? I thought you were spending the day with Shiki."

"I—it didn't—" she stumbled over her words before she went silent.

It didn't take Natsume long to put the pieces together. "He couldn't make it," he muttered quietly, feeling a rush of anger at the conclusion. She had been looking forward to spending Christmas with at least a family friend with her family all gone. Natsume gripped the steering wheel tighter. "He couldn't make it," he repeated angrily. "Right?"

"He tried!" Mikan said quickly, turning in her seat to look at him. "He called me yesterday afternoon to tell me he had his first class tickets and all of his bags packed and that he'd come back to his hotel early after some dinner with one of his big stockholder clients or whatever but then…" She exhaled quickly. "There was a snow storm and he couldn't get home. He said he would try to get out in time, but I told him not to. It's…it's too dangerous, you know? I'd rather him be safe than risk his health—his life—just to spend some time with me for Christmas."

His heart softened at those words.

Of course she wouldn't want to lose anybody else.

"Besides," Mikan shrugged almost as if she was unaffected. "I know I'll end up seeing him sometime during the Christmas break. It doesn't have to be on Christmas day."

He let a moment of silence pass by before he dropped his anger entirely and replaced it with resignation. He couldn't stay mad at her for too long. "Where were you heading?"

"Dinner!" She said with a grin. "I'm going to treat myself to some Chinese or sushi for Christmas!"

At this, Natsume shook his head, turning away from traffic to head down to his neighbourhood. "You're an idiot if you think I'm going to let you spend Christmas by yourself." At her slack-jawed expression, he arched an eyebrow. "Fine, I'll ask to be polite. Do you really want to spend Christmas by yourself in that empty hotel room of yours or do you want to spend it with me…and my family?"

Her frown lifted into a grin. "I want to spend Christmas with you, of course."

Natsume turned away from her words and focused once again on the road. "Then get those thoughts of Chinese food out of your head. We're eating my mom's favourites tonight."

"Okay," she replied softly and he could hear the smile in her voice.

When he parked his car in the driveway and opened his door, he felt her warm hand stop his. Inwardly, he sighed. He looked back impatiently only to see a shy, thankful smile on her face. "Thanks again, Natsume."

He turned away. "Just don't eat my house down to fill that black hole in your stomach."

"You're such a great best friend."

"_We could be best friends, just you and me. Us against the world_."

Even though her tone was dry at best, Natsume smiled.

_Maybe they could be._

…and the rest is still unwritten…

* * *

><p><em>That last scene was the one that prompted this whole story in the first place. Weird, I know.<em>

Natsume brought his mother flowers.

Flower meanings**  
>Dark pink roses - <strong>gratitude.**  
>Purple daisies - <strong>innocence, cheer, simplicity, faith.**  
>White lilacs - <strong>memories.**  
>Plum blossoms - <strong>beauty and longevity.**  
><strong>  
><em>Yes, that's the end. If you were looking for romance, this story was not the place to find it. I like the thought of Natsume and Mikan starting off as friends. That's where they started in the manga, right? It's not always about romance and this story is about that. BUT if you are looking for some romance with this storyline, stay tuned for a oneshot sequel-ish thing. You guys might hate me though, so don't say I didn't warn you.<em>

_Thank you for following this story. I managed to finish this in a month like I hoped because of your encouragement, so thank you. _:) _You guys are kinda incredibly amazing, you know?_

-MHR

Completed: June 28th, 2011


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